Harry and the Gang's New Beginning
by darkangelkym
Summary: The war has finally ended and Harry went into a coma after seeing all of his friends die. But he's woken up! ...to all his dead friends de-aged to eleven-year-old brats... What will he do now? Warning: Slash! Please don't flame! First fic so be nice!
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is my first fanfic so please be nice and don't flame. ;)

Disclaimer: If I did own Harry Potter and any other possible crossovers, would this really be a fanfic? Not to mention I'd be stinkin' rich.

Chapter One: Beginning

"All right, everyone. We'll be landing in a few minutes. Now, do you remember what to call me while we're in Japan?" Hadrian Jamison Potter-Black, newly dubbed Natsui Aoi, quizzed his youthful charges.

In response, eleven young voices answered in slightly different versions of his address here in Japan.

"Aoi-niisama!"

"Niichan!"

"Niisama."

"Ao-nii!"

Aoi smiled indulgently at the antics of his 'siblings'. After making sure that those who had fallen asleep during the long flight were awake and aware, he settled back into the plush first-class seat and gradually tuned out the excited chatter of his companions. His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to when he had first gained knowledge of him having eleven eleven-year-olds under his custody and care (AN: pun unintended.). He had been experiencing a myriad of emotions then: shock, surprise, doubt, fear, elation. You name it, he felt it. But now... he couldn't imagine being without any one of his 'siblings'.

~flashback~

"You've got to be joking."

Magical Theorist, Alec Nevis frowned and adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses, trying to ignore the humor radiating from his companions, as he replied simultaneously. "I assure you, milord. This is no joke."

One of the room's occupants chucked briefly. "He wouldn't know how to."

The patient ran a hand through raven locks that had extended to the small of his back during his comatose phase in a manner reminiscent to the awkwardness of a father who had just discovered after the birth that his wife had one or two extra babies squeezed in her womb.

Ah, the irony of that analogy.

"So I CLONED my best friends unknowingly?!"

Ah, here comes the panic.

"You may not have known it, but your magic did, Lord Potter-Black," Nevis explained.

"Explain to me again how this is possible," Lord Hadrian Jamison Potter-Black demanded, not even bothering to correct the use of the lordship title that he had always despised. Nevis sighed in exasperation on the inside, but hey, at least he was getting paid good money for his job.

"During the Final Battle," he ignored the wince the patient displayed at the reminder, "witnessing the loss of your friends in one fell swoop must have triggered your magic towards You-Know-Who, completely erasing him from existence. At the same time, although you lost consciousness after your offensive final attack, we presume that the magic in you recognized your grief, your emotional and mental trauma and your disbelief in their deaths, so it acted in accordance with your wishes, conscious or otherwise. As no magic in the mortal world can ever bring back a loved one from the plain of death, it instead made a replica, right down to the personality, blood and magic."

"Okay... how would that be possible? If it was possible, wouldn't others have done it, too?"

"Normally, it ISN'T possible, milord. However, we do have to take into account that your magic measures on par with Merlin and Morgan le Faye, so it wouldn't be as impossible as it seems. In your case, at the very least."

"Why are all of them eleven? Shouldn't they be at the age that I - last saw them?"

"We can only speculate that your magic recognized the age eleven as when you yourself were still blindly innocent and thus aged them thus. At eleven, you did not know or care about the politics and conflicts pervading the izarding World, and thus reverted them back to that age of innocence."

"And what is the Ministry going to do about this?" Hadrian turned to one of the other occupants in his private room. Newly sworn in Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Nothing, if that's what you want."

"Nothing? There's no way that something like this wouldn't be regarded as Dark, and you're telling me that they won't do anything?" Hadrian scoffed contemptuously.

"Hey, the whole Wizarding World owes you big. No one is about to persecute you. Although if it comes down to it, they'd probably ask you to take custody of the kids, seeing as they are technically 'your children'. Heck, even the Queen herself wouldn't dare say anything about it, without dire consequences."

"On to the financial side of things, Lord Potter-Black," the goblin representative from Gringotts spoke up, "we have to deal with the inheritance for the children."

"Inhe - what? They aren't the originals, so does any inheritance still apply?"

"Yes, although this is an unprecedented case, as the Gringotts Council of Goblins have ascertained after a long meeting that as all of them have free will and are not under yours or anyone else's will, as well as having the physical and mental capabilities of their 'originals', yes, it does still apply. We've decided to file the children as the children of the 'originals', and since they're all underage and orphans, in a sense, you've automatically assumed the role of proxy for them in all matters related to financial, as well as for those with titles such as young Master Malfoy and Longbottom."

Hadrian sighed, his annoyance and confusion identifiable to everyone present. He visibly pulled himself together and calmed himself with Occlumency, something that had been very useful durign the war. "All right, I want you to establish trust funds for all of them, with the limit of 5000 pounds in Muggle currency per month converted to Wizarding currency. Their trust funds are to be supported by my personal vaults, until they come of age, where they will then inherit their own vaults, which is to be built up not only by interest from their old vaults but also by any interest from my vaults, divided equally into eleven portions to be distributed to each vault until they are of age. Seal their old vaults in the mean time. Same goes for the Longbottom Manor, the Malfoy Manor and any and all properties belonging to them, which they will take charge of when they are of age. As for those with nobility titles, seal those, too. I will use my own titles, so don't worry about that. Additionally, I want to rewrite my magical will to include them so expect me to drop in sooner or later."

He turned towards Kingsley. "Now, Minister, I'd like to take them all into custody and I will have someone from Gringotts to deal with that issue, later. As Hogwarts is no longer on the map, so to speak, I will have them all taught and trained by myself, home-schooled. I need to register with the Ministry about that, I believe. And I want to start a life somewhere else, away from England, so we'll deal with that soon enough. As of now, I will appoint Gringotts Council Head, Ragnok," he addressed the goblin representative in the corner, "and Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, as my co-proxies for votes in any policy change or whatever the Ministry wants to bother me with. I expect nothing but seamless co-operation with each other and only if you have conflicting opinions about any one particular issue are you to seek me out."

"Now, then," he said, turning to the previously forgotten Nevis, "Mr Nevis, what are the conditions of my siblings?"

~flashback ends~

In his coma, his 'siblings' had been in their own comas too, sustained by his magic as their own magic, a mixture of their original magic and the residue of his adapting to each other and the new bodies. It was a few days after his waking up that he did a Blood Adoption for all of them, which slightly changed their appearances and made them truly his family. It was the naming part after the ritual which had frustrated him. He hadn't wanted to give them the names of his friends, as they were, however alike they may be to the originals, their own being. He had adamantly insisted that they each have new names, singular to themselves. He, more than anyone else, knew how fragile the psyche of a child was, and didn't want to insult or hurt them by addressing them their old names, which made them truly just replicas. No matter what the magic theories said, they were themselves. Moreover he hadn't wanted to treat them as replacements for his friends, thus leading to the brainstorming of their names.

~flashback~

"All right, although they explained that my magic, fused with the residual magic from your previous selves created you as replicas, I won't call you by your old names. No matter what the technical explanation is, I see you all as your own selves and not simply replicas. You are your own being and I won't degrade you by giving you your old names. I will give you your own names after the Blood Adoption. Although the ritual makes you my children," here Hadrian almost choked on the word, "I want you all to see me as more of an older brother rather than father. Don't start thinking any of you are not good enough to be my kids," he nipped the notion in the bud, noticing the self-deprecating looks that often came up since they had been explained to that they were only replicas, "but sixteen is much too young to be a dad, although 'sweet sixteen' parties probably made many moms and dads."

The girls blushed and the boys laughed while Madam Pomfrey, his personal healer since Hogwarts collapsed, who was to do the ritual, admonished with a 'Harry!', and the tension was released.

~flashback ends~

Although he truly did see them as themselves, he hadn't wanted to erase his friends completely. They were like their children, that he had a role in fathering, although the notion of sleeping with Hermione, Ginny or any of the rest of them, made him feel like he had just committed incest. Hence he gave them names reminiscent of their most prominent traits when his friends were still alive.

Hermione became Athena, named after the Greek goddess of knowledge. She loved her new name as she strived as much for more knowledge as her predecessor did, although it caused her endless frustration when her other siblings cut short her imperious name to simply 'Thena'.

Ron was re-named Philotes, the Greek spirit of friendship. Although Ron was not exactly the best of friends that Hadrian could have had, especially during their second and fourth years, he (Philotes) could only hope that his namesake had truly blessed him with a loyalty that was deserving of his name and resembled the unwavering loyalty his original had grown, developed and displayed on multiple counts.

Draco Malfoy, who had been a spy during the war alongside his godfather, one Severus Tobias Snape, gained the name of Hybris, a god of pride, something that defined Draco to a tee, even after his loyalties had switched due to the deaths of his parents at the hands of the one they had claimed to serve.

Blaise Zabini, Draco's best friend and his constant confidante within the Deatheater ranks, was given the name of Vor, the Norse god of wisdom, seeing as he, although never as knowledge-driven as Hermione or Percy, could always offer the best advice and had taken up the post of Hadrian's personal war startegist when the war still raged.

Neville Longbottom, who had surprisingly become Draco's confidante and emotional anchor outside the Deatheater circles, was re-named Priapus, after the Roman god of gardens, something that had always struck Hadrian as uniquely Neville. It was a suitable name, seeing as Neville had been responsible for the cultivation of numerous plants used in potions which had been of valuable assistance during the war period.

Luna Lovegood, Hadrian's personal Seer and Neville's betrothed, became Fortuna, Greek goddess of fortune. Her words, although they always were slightly vague and mysterious, were always right and her replica, or Fortuna now, had gained the inherent Seer capabilties.

Ginny Weasley, meanwhile became Hestia, her namesake being the Greek goddess of fire, well-suited to her personality, a fiery, raging goddess, determined to protect those she loved and hurt those who had hurt them in turn.

The troublesome twins, Fred and George, or Forge and Gred, as they had always insisted, as they were de-aged, WWW came under Hadrian's management, as he was not only their investor, hence part owner, but also their current guardian, who had instantly hired them back as private researchers, testees and testers. Fred became Loki, Norse god of mischief, whereas George was Gelus, the Greek god of laughter. Hadrian had thought they were apt names as mischief without laughter was just cruel, and laughter without mischief was pointless - true Marauder's thought process.

Percy, who had burrowed his way into Deatheater ranks to become a spy due to his suspicions about the previous Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and his Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge about their alliances, by staging his rejection of his family, although he did eventually explain when Fred found him tortured almost to the point of insanity outside WWW after the Deatheaters discovered his true allegiance and was gladly accepted back into the fold, was given the name of Thoth, the Egyptian god of intellect.

Shijou became Clio, Greek god of history, as his fascination with history hadn't dimmed in the slightest, despite his current age of eleven.

Ryuu was given the name of Io, god of all dragons. Like his older brother, or well, maybe not so much older now, his dragon obsession did not lessen one bit, especially when Hadrian found a stray Dragonite, a smaller branch of dragons that was as big as a small toy truck, cuddling to him in the closet, where Io had attempted to hide him. As Io and the Dragonite had bonded, Hadrian didn't have the heart to tell the little boy to give him up to the dragon reservations. So thus the Dragonite was named Pegasus, as it was snow-white, a rare colour amongs dragons, or even Dragonites, and had feathery wings rather than the leathery ones that were inherent to most dragons.

Although as they would be living in a Muggle neighbourhood, Hadrian had put the little rascal under a Glamour charm to make it look like a large eagle, a companion to Hedwig, his own familiar, Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, Buckbeak, who was also under a glamour to look like a normal horse, Aeroius, Draco's owl, Errol, the Weasleys' family owl, Trevor, Neville's toad, Hermes, Percy's owl, Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, and Salazar, a newly acquired familiar of Hadrian's who happened to be a Basilisk and also coincidentally the nestling of the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Fawkes, who had bonded with Hadrian after the phoenix had overcome the grief over losing his Bondmate, Professor Dumbledore, became more or less the disciplinarian and mother of the batch of unusual nestlings.

His pensive mood was interrupted when a small hand tentatively tapped his shoulder gently. Aoi looked up into the brown eyes tinted with green at the edges belonging to Thoth. "Niisama, you seem a little pensive. Penny for your thoughts?" Aoi couldn't help chuckling at the straitlaced nature of the one previously known as Percy. True, when Percy had been older than him, the rule-abiding and disciplinarian character that he'd been so proud of had often irked him, but when the same attitude came from an eleven-year-old midget, the maturity was just cute.

"No, just thinking of our new home," Aoi replied, messing up the red hair that all the previous Weasleys had thankfully kept even after the Blood Adoption. "What do you think, Shitsuke?" he asked, addressing Thoth by his new Japanese name, meaning 'discipline' which definitely was in his nature. "Aren't you a little curious about our new home in Japan?"

"Well, curiosity is vastly overrated. Although I do admit to wanting to know more about our soon-to-be home," Shitsuke sniffed.

"Oh, stop being such a prude, Shi-chan," the only Weasley girl, newly named Hestia, snorted, giving her brother a shove from her seat behind the two, ignoring the sputtering coming from Shitsuke at the indignation of being called 'Shi-chan'. "Ne, niichan," she said, turning her similarly coloured eyes towards her eldest brother, "why did you choose Japan anyways?"

"Well," Aoi began, turning around in his seat slightly, so he could look directly at his red-headed sister, "Akka-chan, can you just imagine how the paparazzi would swamp us if we were to continue to stay in the Western world?"

The response he received was a disgusted snort. "Yeah, it'd be horrible."

"And you remember, we just randomly chose a place in the Eastern world."

This time, 'Akka' giggled, "I remember that. You just randomly opened the atlas to a random page and it was Japan." She giggled again, most likely remembering how affronted Shitsuke had been at the randomness of such a method of choice.

"But, niisan, why did you choose Tokyo?" this coming from Chishiki, or as Athena had named herself for their foray into Japan. The name basically translates into 'knowledge', a most suitable address for her as 'Athena' was.

"Yeah, and why-"

"A school for-"

"Rich brats?"

Needless to say, the only ones capable of making a simple question to relate to something like a fierce tennis rally were the newly renamed Nao (Loki) and Warai (Gelus). Before Aoi could say a word, one of his previously silent brothers offered his own opinion.

"Simple. We are all among the richest in our circles back in Britain and even in the wider world, we have footholds and bases in many industrial corporations that range from medical to information technology to children's goods, etcetera. By choosing the so-called 'Rich Brat School'," insert here the typical rolling of eyes, something that Saiki (Vor) so rarely did, that he had the others, except Aoi and his best friend who recently became his brother, gaping in surprise, "we have a better chance of remaining undetected."

"Uh… run that by me again?" came Yuujin's (Philotes) confused comment. It wasn't that he was stupid, no, but Yuujin was definitely not the brightest crayon in the box, which led to endless teasing and making fun of especially from the direction of Kenshiki (Hybris).

"He means, dumbass," Kenshiki quipped, ignoring the growl coming from aforementioned redhead, "that since we're so impossibly rich and perfect," he ignored again the incredulous and humored scoffs and snorts from his siblings, "if we hide in a little-known school, we'd most likely attract attention." At Yuujin's uncomprehending expression, Kenshiki sighed and decided to elaborate. "Think hiding a unicorn amongst thestrals. By hiding amongst those of our class, we'd be like a snake hiding in grass. It is our natural environment, and we know the ins and outs of it." Yuujin's expression finally cleared, showing his understanding.

At the mention of magical creatures, Ryuu (Io) piped up, "Hey, niichan, I've never been to Japan. Do you think they have a dragon reserve? What kind of dragons would they have? And, ooh, maybe they even have sea dragons rather than our kind?"

"I'm more interested in the famed Tokugawa treasure. They said no one ever found it. Just imagine, years of ancient, powerful history just waiting to be found… Hey, do you think the shogun used those Japanese magicians for warding the treasure? What were they called again?" came the enthusiastic voice of Shijou (Clio).

"Maho-tsukai," was Percy's answer.

"Onmyouji," Hermione immediately quipped.

The two looked at each other for a moment and then started a lively argument about which one was right. ("Maho-tsukai" means magic-users, so it's got to be them." "That's too general a category. The Japanese Imperial Court specifically made use of Onmyouji." "Onmyouji was only well-known for subduing evil spirits and fortune-telling." "Exactly, which makes them the best security measure.")

Aoi loved his siblings, really he did. But he was at his wits' end and almost at the end of his patience. He was about to shout to silence them, when his third sister, who had previously remained quiet until now, shushed them. Fuushigi (Fortuna) only ever spoke for two reasons: one, she had something totally inane and nonsensical to say, serving to annoy the hell out of everyone within earshot, or two, she wanted to say something so important that required your undivided attention, it usually being something along the lines of life-altering. Now everyone of her siblings glanced towards their sister, waiting with baited breath for her words, which could either be very stupid or very smart of them.

"Ken's (Priapus) sleeping," were the much awaited words, and indeed said boy, Ken or Kenjou, whom Aoi had just woken up two minutes ago, was back to a state of half-consciousness, his head lying on the shoulder of the person next to him, which just happened to be Fushigi. Only the odd mumble of "not sleeping" made them sure that he was at least partly awake.

"He has to wake up soon, Shigi-chan. We can already see the bare outline of the airport, so I guess we'll be landing in, at most, ten minutes."

Shigi nodded obediently in response to her eldest brother's words, and proceeded to shake awake the boy who had his head on her shoulder. It took a few tries, but Ken finally woke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, as he sat up. "Are we there already?" was his slightly sleep-ridden query.

As the rest of his siblings continued to chatter on about inane things, alternating with making fun of the still sleepy Ken, Shigi being the only one trying to keep him awake, Aoi smiled, his mind already thinking about their new home, their new life and a new beginning.

OK. This is it for the first chapter. R&R to tell me what you think. I also welcome suggestions and ideas. Btw, here is the bare info about Harry and his 'kids' (giggle). I've also included their various aliases and their meanings. Btw, I've ranked them according to which month they're born, thus their rank in the siblinghood, except Harry. Since he's obviously not de-aged, he gets to be eldest.

Harry: Aoi (green) (oldest): July 31st

Ron: Yuujin (friend), Philotes (spirit of friendship, Greek): March 1st

Fred: Nao (mischief), Loki (Norse): 31 March

George: Warai (laughter), Gelus (Greek): 31 March

Blaise: Saiki (wisdom), Vor (Norse god of wisdom): May 5th

Draco: Kenshiki (pride), Hybris, think Neji pride: June 5th

Neville: Kenjou (humility), Priapus (Roman god of gardens):July 30th

Luna: Fushigi (mystery), Fortuna (Greek goddess of fortune): August 1st, since she was mentioned to be born in 1981

Ginny: Akka (red) Hestia (fire goddess, Greek): 11 August

Percy: Shitsuke (discipline), Thoth (Egyptian god of intellect): August 22nd

Hermione: Chishiki (knowledge), Athena (Greek): September 19th

Bill: Shijou (history), Clio: 29 November

Charlie: Ryuu (dragon), Io: December 12


	2. Chapter 2 Settling In

Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! Wow, I'm so happy that a lot of my reviewers think I have potential to develop the story further, as this is my first ever time writing. I have to say, I was surprised though.

Anyways, better start with replying with the replies to your reviews…

A lot of you guys seem to be confused why they have three names (Brit, Jap, Greek) - actually the Brit doesn't really apply, since it's their _old_ names. So it's really only two: the Jap and Greek. A lot of names for 12 kids, I know… but there's a reason…

The Jap is obviously for their addresses in Japan, but the Greek, which is their _real _names (as their Brit names are gone now) is meant as more of a starting point actually, since Greek is a lot like Latin, which is the language for spellwork.

But not to worry, I won't be confusing you too much as starting from this next chapter; I will be using their Jap names, since they are obviously in Japan now.

Oh, and also, while it's true that Midori is green in Jap, Aoi works too. Curious how it works for both green and blue, huh?

P.S. Thanks for being nice!XD And for constructive criticisms!

I hope I've answered you satisfactorily! Thanx again, guys! And now on with Chapter 2! (drum roll)

Disclaimer: Just look up disclaimer in the dictionary. Since the word is here, it means I don't own anything. (sob)

Chapter 2: Settling In

Aoi chuckled as he watched his siblings pile into Narita Airport's ever busy Arrival Area. Well, perhaps pile out may not be the correct word for it. Kenjou was still stumbling sleepily, wearied by the jet lag, with Fuushigi half-supporting his weight by holding onto his arm. Chishiki was looking all around curiously, her brown eyes flecked with green shining with unveiled curiousity and eagerness. Shitsuke was doing the same, though with a more subdued demeanor. Saiki and Kenshiki strutted --- ahem, _strode_, the perfect image of pureblood superiority. (Oh, come on, just because they decided to join the Light side, didn't mean they were about to join the commoners! "The horror!" (Kenshiki)) Whereas the rest… well, this would be the time to use the word pile out.

As soon as all thirteen of them had gathered around, Aoi started to notice the stares and waves of curiosity and admiration coming their way. He didn't like it but he tamped down on his reflex action to snarl very Snape-like, as it was becoming a very normal thing. After all, on their own, all of his siblings, and himself, Aoi had to grudgingly admit, were very distinctive in appearance. But together… they were a surreal picture.

The first ones that most people noticed would be the Weasley-incarnates, due to their flaming red hair, which had thankfully survived the Ritual. Yuujin, Ryuu, Shijou, Shitsuke, Warai and Nao were all tall, just a few inches short of Aoi's own height, despite their current young age. Of course, Aoi had never been very tall, much to his ever-present chagrin and eternal embarrassment. With their eye-catching flaming red hair, tanned complexion and freckles, they immediately reminded one of honest, hard-working farm boys and the boy-next-door type.

Of course, always after them, eyes would fall on little Akka, who was obviously related to them, easily discernible from the similarities in their looks, she would present the perfect image of the maid of the valley, complete with overprotective brothers. The fact that she would hex some very sensitive parts off if you referred to her as something like 'maid' is beside the point, and since no one knew that very important fact, everybody who saw her saw innocence and naiveté. (AN: Pfft!)

Chishiki, who as one of the only three girls in the group, naturally gravitated towards Akka, due to the fact that Fuushigi was closer with Kenjou, and was the next one to draw attention. Her eternally bushy brown hair and brown eyes may give off a rather average picture, but looking closer, one could see the intelligence hidden within the depths of green-flecked brown. Although she may pale in comparison with her siblings in physical attraction, she was someone that most people could relate to, as the Weasley-incarnates were boys-next-door, she was girl-next-door.

Not to mention trying to ignore Kenshiki and Saiki was practically impossible, as it was like trying to ignore a dragon in a haystack, or as Kenshiki likes to say, "being able to ignore me means either you're blind or dead. After all, a Veela and a Dark Fae is hardly easy to ignore, especially amongst trolls,", which, of course, would mean the beginning of a very tiring and exasperating (for Aoi) argument between Kenshiki and Yuujin, although it hasn't developed into anything too bloody yet. Still, it doesn't change the fact using Veela was the right reference to represent Kenshiki's almost luminous appearance, especially accentuated by his ever-present companion, Saiki, the 'tall, dark and handsome' of their group, who in turn was perfectly described as Dark Fae. Although their looks were only the tip of the iceberg, as it was their aura that drew most in. Kenshiki had a cool, aloof, 'holier-than-thou' aura which made you feel that you should think yourself very lucky to even be able to breathe the same air as his holiness. Saiki meanwhile had a more subdued aura, never one to be as outspoken and exuding obvious arrogance and superiority like his best friend. Despite Saiki's surface neutral demeanor, he gave off the feeling that nothing gets past him. And not many things do, really.

The last member of the trio was the odd one out, which naturally attracted the curiosity of the majority. After all, Kenjou, while pleasant-looking, could hardly be called in the same league as the other two members of the trio. But for those who were more observant, he was the neutral factor in the equation, balancing off Kenshiki's superiority complex and the disturbing feeling of Saiki being able to see through you. His friendly, open countenance was distinctly different, and was something like a middle point between two extremities. Adding to his own attraction, although not detracting from her own was Fuushigi who was never far from Kenjou. (They are engaged, you know.) Her blond hair, blue eyes and the eternal dreamy, cast-off look that she always wore, was a mystery to observers – an absolute enigma.

All the eleven-year-olds, as Aoi thankfully reflected, had retained the most prominent of their inherited physical features, such as with the Weasley red hair and the Malfoy pale colouring, even after the Blood Adoption. After all, Aoi didn't want to change too much about his friends. (Clone or not, he was almost sure that Kenshiki would kill him if he lost the Malfoy features.) And if some of them had a few shades darker hair, or paler complexion, or even gained green flecks in their eyes, it was hardly something that screamed out.

The last member of the ragtag group and temporarily (giggle) the tallest in their group made members of a crowd wonder how on earth they could have missed him. After all, Aoi had a very effeminate, ethereal appearance. With emerald-green eyes that glowed, owing to his very powerful, ever –flowing magical core, resting in a sharp, pale face with a flawless complexion made even more distinctive with his hair being the exact shade and colour of a raven's wing, which the girls had braided after much begging on their part, a lithe and almost feminine body shape, he was a beautiful specimen. Yes, I said beautiful. His looks were much too stream-lined to pass for the handsome quality of a male. Despite the effeminate nature of his appearance, one could easily tell that Aoi was the leader and the backbone of the group. Even just the way he moved, he walked confident, but not boastful, only as someone who knew his abilities and was sure of himself, exuding quiet strength and support.

Hence a lot of people who missed him at first glance did wonder how in the world they had. Although if they had noticed, Aoi always walked at the rear and did his best to, not necessarily hide, but remain inconspicuous. Despite previous references to Aoi when he had retained the identity of Harry Potter as an 'attention-seeking maniac' (cough-a certain beetle-woman-cough), it remained a fact that Aoi wasn't fond of attracting attention. He wasn't one for popularity and fame, and wasn't about to start now. One other reason, a very pragmatic one, was that he, as the eldest, had to be responsible for his younger brothers and sisters, and thus stayed at the back of the group to make sure that no one lagged and got left behind.

All in all, they made a very attractive group, drawing the eyes of many of their fellow passengers who had not seen them on the plane, as obviously they were sitting in first class (Aoi did not want to risk Kenshiki throwing a hissy fit if he was made to 'lower himself to the level of commoners in economy' after he figured out the different classes in an airplane, having never ridden one before; after all, the tantrum that had come when Kenshiki found out they were riding commercial instead of taking a private jet, was more than enough to strain his patience), as well as attracting the general attention of anyone at the airport, from the airport staff to those waiting for the arrivals.

Aoi's bottle-green eyes, which had long since been rid of the cumbersome glasses in a magical procedure, scanned the crowds for the one that was supposed to meet them. It wasn't long before a man stepped forward from out of the masses, and approached them. Aoi's senses and reflexes had not dulled, even though the war had ended, and he kept a tight leash on his magic, ready to strike out if the stranger was a threat, as he walked to the forefront of the group, shielding his siblings at the front.

The stranger stopped his approach, keeping a respectful distance away. "Welcome to Japan, Natsui-sama. My name is Ayamino Noboru, your chief butler," he greeted as a manner of introduction, bowing stiffly and then smiling politely, although it looked more like a grimace from Aoi's point-of-view.

"Ah. I see. Thank you for the welcome," Aoi said, trying to ignore the very distracting less-than-subtle curious looks that his siblings were directing towards Noboru, as they tried to peek out from behind him.

"Shall I have someone fetch your luggage, Natsui-sama?"

"That would be great. Here are the baggage tags," Aoi said, handing over the small articles of paper, "thanks." He watched with a slight annoyance mixed with a little amusement as Ayamino summoned several young men, who wore the same uniform denoting their belonging to his House, represented by the small lion's head embroidered into the collars of their shirts, with a simple snap of his fingers. Aoi suppressed a wince as he felt the curious glances of the crowds grow in intensity at the obvious sign of wealth and power, two of the most powerful, if not the most, motivators in human action. Harsh, but true.

As the servants went to gather the bags, their chief butler took up the position next to Aoi as he co-herded the group towards the exit point. "So, Natsui-sama… how was your trip?" he asked, the nervousness emanating from him tangible. It could hardly be blamed, as the mansion in Tokyo, which he had been charged with taking care of in the absence of the rightful owner, as the elders in his family had been, hadn't been lived in for a long time. Moreover, he was only at the young age of thirty-two. Noboru had already resigned himself to being replaced with a more experienced employee.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Noboru-san. I will not bite you as I am no cannibal," Aoi chuckled, as he placed a comforting hand on Noboru's shoulder, subtly injecting a minute amount of magic to calm down the man's erratic emotions.

Noboru smiled gratefully in response, as they finally reached the exit. He made a call on the radio clipped onto his belt, which was soon responded to with the appearance of a white stretch limousine appearing around the corner. As the limousine slowed to a stop in front of them, the chauffeur, dressed in the same uniform as the servants from before, with the addition of a chauffeur's cap, hopped out of the driver's seat and held the car door open for them to get into the car, his head bowed. Noboru and Aoi both waited until the last of the children had entered before entering themselves.

It seemed to Noboru that the current head of the House of Gryffindor was filled with surprises. When he had received the message that proclaimed the arrival of Hadrian Jamison Potter-Black, renamed Natsui Aoi, a direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor, Noboru had expected a spoilt young man who had an ego the size of Japan, obnoxious and deeply immersed in the vices that influences the typical life of a rich, young heir. In contrast, the young boy he had met was a complete rebuttal of his preconceptions. Natsui Aoi exuded charisma and quiet strength as well as intelligence from every pore of his body. When Noboru had his nervousness eased with a soft reassuring touch from his new touch just a short while ago, he could feel the kindness and compassionate nature of the young man. In short, all his beliefs and preconceptions were totally shot down. His thoughts were interrupted as he realized that his name was being called.

"Yes, Natsui-sama?"

"First, don't call me sama. If you can't do that, at least call me Aoi-sama. Calling me Natsui-sama just confuses the heck out of everyone. Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to my siblings," he said, pointing out each child, with each introduction. After they were introduced, the previously quiet children gradually opened up and asked a million different questions, with Noboru dealing with their queries as best he can, still struck by the completely different natures and temperaments of the children and his surprising employer.

Noboru had a feeling that the empty mansion that his family had watched over for such a long time would soon come out of its dormancy.

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"We're here, Ken-chan," Shigi murmured, lightly shaking the shoulder of the boy who had yet again fallen asleep on her shoulder while they were en route to their new home. Kenjou's face screwed up as he fought to keep sleeping on the oh-so-comfortable shoulder of his betrothed. Undaunted, Shigi continued to try to wake him up.

"Oh, you might as well give up, Shigi-chan," Saiki suggested. "Ken-chan sleeps like a vampire going to rest when the sun rises up." As if on cue, Kenjou immediately snapped open his eyes and glared at his adopted brother. He opened his mouth to begin what would very soon escalate into a long and tedious argument, when he was interrupted.

But not by Aoi.

"Oh, please, Kami-sama, don't start, you two. I'm tired and jet lagged, and I want to get some rest," Kenshiki snapped in irritation. He just couldn't understand why in the world his two best friends wouldn't just get along with each other. He remembered vaguely his time as a boy named Draco Lucian Malfoy. He had started out at Hogwarts, aiming to make Harry Potter his new best friend but had been humiliatingly refused. He then turned to his dorm-mate, a boy named Blaise Zabini. Oh, the adventures they had!

Then in his later years, he became a spy for Harry with Blaise right behind him. Those were dark times, even though he didn't remember much. After he had became allied with the Light side, he developed a close friendship with a boy named Neville Longbottom who had, ironically, been the constant victim of his bullying in his younger, more ignorant years. They were all fighting for the same side, and yet Neville and Blaise could never get along. The usually calm, coolly vigilant Blaise sniped and the usually friendly, mild-mannered Neville got pissed. It seems that Kenjou and Saiki had inherited that unfortunate aspect of their relationship as well.

By contrast, Aoi was smiling, biting his lips to prevent himself from laughing out loud at Kenshiki's constant plight, which would most definitely earn him an earful from said blond. It was funny how the two supposedly most clear-headed and cool-as-cucumber members of their little group snap at each other like two little puppies arguing over a toy, with Kenshiki being the toy, even if he himself wasn't aware of it. Aoi would, of course, keep the embarrassing analogy to himself lest he wanted to have a short life at the hands of his blond-haired brother.

As Kenshiki viciously ended the argument before it started, the rest were already outside the limousine, soon to be followed by Kenshiki and the rest, including Aoi and Noboru. Finally, everyone was standing right outside of their new home. All of them were so engrossed in admiring the beautiful structure that they would soon be living in, that they didn't even hear the chauffeur put the limousine away. And indeed it was breath-taking.

The house… well, mansion, stood atop a picturesque cliff, looking out over a gorgeous private lake. None of them had noticed the scenery on the winding way up the cliff as they had all been entertained with Noboru's frantic attempts to answer all their curious a million and one questions. But now they could finally see how the mansion stood at the very top, on a dangerous-looking outcrop that extended over the lake, although by closer inspection, there was a firm brick enforcement built into the outcrop to ensure the safety of the occupants. It was a four-and-a-half storey structure, the half-storey being the attic, with the main kitchens, living room, dining room, breakfast room and rec room on the ground floor. The first floor comprised of fourteen separate guest rooms, all outfitted with their own toilets and a small reading spot, whereas the second floor was reserved for the main residents of the family, there being seven suites, complete with bathroom, a private living room and kitchenette. The third floor could only be reached by a private elevator that could only be accessed by three key cards, one for the master, another for the mistress and finally the last for the chief butler, meaning Noboru, as the entire third floor was the master suite, where only the master and mistress were allowed to reside. No stairs reached the master suite, with the servants' stairway completely bypassing the third floor, as Noboru patiently explained to his avid audience, having curbed his nervous tendencies. There was a single balcony to the master suite and residential suites, with two or three guest rooms on the first floor sharing a single balcony. The balconies were placed both at the front and back of the mansion. Those at the back could wake up to a wondrous picture of a clear, sparkling lake every morning, whereas those at the front overlooked the well-tended and magnificent gardens that could only be achieved with continuous hard work and care. Only the master suite had the benefit of two balconies facing both the front and back of the house. The chief butler customarily lives in one of the guest bedrooms, while the rest of the servants resided in the servants' quarters which were quite a ways away on the grounds. All in all, it was a majestic and glorious structure.

"All right, guys. All of you head up to the second floor and pick out a suite to your liking. I'd prefer you share with someone," Aoi smiled, though he added in the direction of Kenjou and Shigi, "except for you two." Both blushed at the implication, their eleven-year-old mentalities just barely grasping the innuendo in Aoi's words.

In the end, everyone was paired up. Shijou and Ryuu would share, whereas Shitsuke would be sharing with Yuujin. With only three girls in their group, all three decided to room together – Akka, Chishiki and Fuushigi. Kenshiki decided to stay alone in his suite, in order to shut Saiki and Kenjou up, who had both started to argue who got to room with Kenshiki. Kenshiki even went so far as to impose the punishment of both staying in the same room, to 'learn to grow up, and stop behaving like brats', much to the amusement of the others and the incredulity of the two in question. With everyone paired up, Aoi was left to take the master suite. Although he had wanted a typical residential suite, he took one look at Noboru's face, that plainly said 'I'll cry if you don't behave like the Master and take the master suite', and hurriedly decided on the master suite, not wanting to run the risk of possible waterworks.

As all the kids went to claim a suite of their own, Aoi was left alone, with Noboru to lead them, watching all of them go, his emerald-green gaze lingering on Kenjou and Fuushigi, sighing as he thought that they would soon grow up and he would be the *gulp* responsible adult to teach them about … you-know-what. And now he felt stupid about using Voldemort's old hyphenated form to call s_x.

Frowning at his own virginal mind, Aoi said to himself, "Okay, you can do this, Natsui Aoi. You're sixteen, for Merlin's sake. S…se…" it seemed he was making a speech in Parseltongue. "Okay – sex."

And promptly blushed crimson. He sighed, brushing back an errant lock of hair. Oh well, he'll cross the bridge when he comes to it. He was about to head up to his own suite when he froze.

"Kuso," he swore, as he belatedly realized he'd have to watch Yuujin and Chishiki dance around each other again for the next few years. And when the second puberty of their lives hits… Aoi shuddered involuntarily. He didn't know if he'd retain his sanity….

_Tbc…_

Oh, dear…. It's been only a while and it seems like Aoi is already facing a multitude of problems… and he hasn't even started school yet….

So, what do you think of the second chapter, readers?

Please R&R. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome!


	3. Chapter 3 Torture of Shopping

Since I got so many reviews for my first chapter, I posted the second chapter immediately after. So remember, the quicker I get a ton of reviews, the faster the next chapter goes up on . 'Sides, it would be terribly lonely without the great advice coming from you guys. I appreciate it, really. Thanks.

Anyways, one of you guys mentioned about the issue of memories:

Let me clear this up for you. When I say they remember only vague memories, the more prominent or important an event, the sharper and more defined would the memory be. Other memories just fall to the sidelines.

Since the reviewer has made a specific reference to the Weasleys, its not really confusing at all. While it's true that Bill and Ginny have a large age gap and they may be confused if they retained their memories, but like I said, they don't remember everything.

What I mean is, Bill and the other Weasley brothers remember their own lives vaguely, and of course, they remember each other, or at the very worst, their relationship with the others. For example, Bill would remember being brother to Ginny, Ron, etc. but there wouldn't be much emphasis in the age difference, just the relationship. Besides, I never noticed the Weasleys kept a formal hierarchy of the siblings according to seniority.

Hope that answers your question. Now on with the show!

P.S. Thanks for reviewing and oh, this so does not belong to me (disclaimer, if you don't know)… (I'll just go ahead and pull a Tamaki and start a mushroom farm in the corner*sigh*)

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Chapter 3: Torture of Shopping

Aoi's beauteous face screwed up in a slight scowl as he fought the pressure to wake from an unexpected restful night in a foreign place. However, to no avail as the pressurizing agent gave him a light _shove_. Upset and sleep-deprived, Aoi was _not_ a happy wizard, as his eyelids finally snapped open, his eyes sparking dangerously. They landed on the (subtly shaking) form of his chief butler, and Aoi's previous irritation vanished, to be replaced with honest confusion.

"Noboru-san? Uh, I didn't want a wake-up call…" was the intelligent response from the oh-so-great Master of the Manor. Hey, come on, he just woke up!

Aoi wisely did not mention the very visible manner in which his butler uncurled himself from the undignified position when he had drawn in upon himself in the face of Aoi's earlier sleepy rage. "Yes, well. Actually, Akka-sama has asked me to wake you. Apparently she and the others would like to take in the city sights today."

A normal person would not have noticed when Noboru's voice quivered on the word 'asked' but alas, Aoi was no normal person and he didn't miss the slight inflection in the tone. He was well aware of how the cute and innocent little Akka-chan became, for lack of a better word, Lucifer incarnate, especially this early in the morning and without being pumped chock-full with her morning customary hot chocolate. (AN: She is eleven, you know. :o).

Aoi winced internally. He offered a comforting, understanding smile in compensation, unable to help from sympathizing with Noboru, who was caught at the wrong place, wrong time, and became an innocent victim of the maelstrom that was Akka in the morning. Noboru visibly calmed and his previously tense shoulders eased.

"Tell her and the others I'll be right there. They're in the breakfast room, I suppose?" Aoi guessed as he shrugged off the heavy coverlet and headed, half-stumbling sleepily, to the en-suite bathroom. Noboru nodded wordlessly, as he kept watching his new employer's receding back until he vanished into the bathroom. Noboru sighed, as he ran a hand through his own dark brown hair. He knew without a doubt that he was straight but… kami, Natsui Aoi could tempt a saint to sin.

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Aoi was surprised to say the least, to find himself as the last member of their odd family to join the others at the table in the breakfast room. Kenjou and Saiki were already engaged in their everyday spat, Kenshiki had decided he could care squat and proceeded to carry out a conversation with Shigi, resolutely ignoring his arguing companions. Chishiki, Shitsuke, Shijou and Ryuu were talking about something that probably had to do with a lot of information, dragons and ancient treasure troves. Warai and Nao were whispering with each other, either planning out a new candy to further the profits of WWW, or working out the specifics for some new prank, with their siblings as the perfect test subjects. Yuujin, meanwhile, was too pre-occupied with continuously shoveling food into his mouth, with Akka sitting beside him, ceaselessly chattering despite the lack of response from her neighbor, due to his stuffing his mouth.

It was certainly a rare sight, since it was usually he who woke up earlier than everyone else, and seeing all of them gathered here before him was a surprise as none of them were exactly what you call early birds. He shrugged indifferently and settled into an empty seat at the round table between Nao and Shigi, a nameless maid already in the process of setting up a place for him.

As soon as his siblings noticed his presence at the table, they quieted and turned to him expectantly. Aoi chucked in mild humor. It was almost a reflex action that they deferred to him. Even as their previous selves during the war, when Aoi was still the Boy-Who-Lived, whenever he sat at the table for a meal, all chatter ceased as they looked to him to speak. Aoi had been so frustrated about it, he remembered, and had grumbled more than a few times that they were all the same age or even with some of them being older than him. His friends had laughed at him, and told him basically to shut up and take it. Aoi was a natural leader through-and-through, even when he wasn't trying to be.

It seems that Magic had really cloned them down to their littlest habit and mannerism.

Aoi couldn't help smiling internally, as he surreptitiously glanced from under his eyelashes at the growing impatience displayed on the faces of his siblings, whereas he himself calmly buttered a toasted roll, dipped it into a waiting dish of warm honey, put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, eyes closed, as if savoring the taste. Aoi then took a small sip from his teacup, calmly and secretly enjoying the growing killing intent mirrored on the faces of his companions.

Noboru, who was standing behind his seat, as befitted his position, couldn't help but pull subconsciously at his collar, as he watched the mounting tension in the room, his eyes flicking repeatedly to and fro between the kids and his employer who was _still_ calmly sipping his tea.

Aoi finally decided that he had had enough fun and put down his cup with a minute clink, before raising his eyes and asked, "So what are you planning to do today?"

The tension was broken, and the answering chatter and words ensued. Noboru breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at his employer, who was unaware of the power, and not just the legitimate power and authority as the Master, which he held over this household.

_Wait, was that a smirk?!_ Noboru blinked and rubbed his eyes. Aoi-sama's face was angelic and patient as he listened calmly to their plans. _Must have been a trick of the light… Aoi-sama is possibly the most innocent and naïve person I have ever met. I don't think he even knows _how_ to smirk…_ (AN: Shows what YOU know!)

By the end of breakfast, Noboru had convinced himself that he had imagined the whole expression of mischief.

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"How did you rope me into this?" came the question that issued from Aoi's lips as he was pulled along by his sisters, namely, Chishiki, Fuushigi and Akka, at the shopping mall. The young 'Master' of the house didn't look very masterful at the moment as three female midgets with the strength of trolls in their grip dragged him along in what he just _knew_ would be an ill-fated shopping trip.

Noboru and the rest of the boys were hard keeping themselves from snickering as the usually calm, young Master became a clump of frazzled nerves, trying to make his legs keep up with what _should_ have been the slower speed of his sisters, due to their shorter legs.

Currently the girls had managed to pull Aoi into an optician's, while the boys (and yes, I include Noboru) followed behind, having ceased their laughter and were now more than a little confused. (AN: Remember, Aoi fixed his eyes in a magical procedure.)

"Good idea, girls," Saiki commented, as soon as they entered. Okay, I amend my statement, not _all_ the boys were confused.

In response, the three girls beamed at him, while simultaneously pushing Aoi into a vacant seat in front of a glass display case with a multitude of frames in all sizes, colours and shapes. While the boys were looking in askance at Saiki, who seemed to be the only one who was in the know, a nervous-looking sales assistant was already twittering over Aoi, with the girls injecting comments all the while.

"Honestly, you all are such MORONS," came the unwanted, and unneeded insult from Kenshiki, in all the snarkiness he had inherited from his godfather, namely, their hated Potions Professor, Snape. "Will you guys just LOOK at Aoi-niisama?" he asked, in complete disbelief at the lack of common sense displayed by his siblings, gesturing wildly at their eldest brother, who was trying, and failing, to subtly inch away from the frantic sales assistant who looked like she was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Does he look like he can be _inconspicuous_ without something to help him?"

And so the boys looked. I mean, really LOOKED.

The result? Well, needless to say, most of them quickly averted their eyes with red-tinted cheeks. And no, they do NOT have the taste to try incest, but hey, they knew a specimen of beauty when they saw one. Besides, they knew Aoi could only ever be in the position of Niichan with them.

"OKAY! THAT'S IT!"

The frustrated shout snapped the boys out of their appreciative contemplation of Aoi's virtues and all conversation in the small metropolitan shop ceased. Irritation and annoyance was radiating from Aoi, who was glaring at everything and everyone within the immediate vicinity. The silence was palpable, and tension was high. Well, at least until, the sales assistant burst into tears, and ran off into the back room with the three girls following to comfort her. Some of the boys looked at Aoi reproachfully, who was currently shell-shocked that he had made the sales assistant cry.

Aoi didn't know if he should go to the back room to comfort the young girl. However, he didn't know if his chances of escaping being maimed by his sisters were all that high. He was also unlikely to believe that his presence would be at all helpful since he was the one who made her cry. Similarly, none of the boys followed either, not even kind, mild-mannered Kenjou, who likewise were unsure of their chances to survive.

Noboru, meanwhile, was more than a little surprised. His jaw was gaping as he had never seen nor expected a blow-up coming from the least likely person that he had expected to… well, blow up.

"Noboru!"

The butler came to attention at the address. It was a sign of how tumultuous his emotions were when Aoi forgot the honorific and addressed him directly.

"Take care of my siblings and make sure they get home safely," Aoi snapped out tersely. He was frustrated, annoyed and pissed with himself that he had let his emotions get away from him like that. He snapped up a pair of nondescript, unattractive glasses with fake lenses (AN: think Haruhi's old glasses, except worse) from the display counter and walked out, trusting Noboru to settle the bill in his stead. After all, no sense in coming back, especially when he could make someone cry AGAIN.

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Currently Aoi was trying to figure out what the hell he was doing at the supermarket, when he had a perfectly capable kitchen staff at the manor, who were more than able to serve up five-star courses based on his whim. He chalked it down to his days as the Dursleys' house-elf, and it might be unfortunate, but a fact that he did feel more comfortable, settling into the routine of shopping and thinking about what to cook for dinner. Household chores relaxed him in a way that was second only to flying.

At the thought of the Dursleys, an unconsciously malicious smirk that did not belong on such an ethereal face, made the corners of his lips turn up. They had paid and paid dearly for belittling and making fun of him when he was a child. They never knew that the little boy that they were always so fond of putting down would one day grow up to be a strong, powerful young man more than capable of fighting his own battles. Petunia was forced to work for her livelihood as Vernon had lost his job and reputation, once it was known that Aoi owned the company that he worked for. They were both currently slaving away in some out-of-the-way diner in England. Whereas Dudley… well, he'd gone to college and grown up away from his parents' destructive influences, cutting all ties with them. Aoi really had no idea where his cousin was nowadays, and to tell the truth, he didn't really care. He wouldn't blame Dudley for the way he had been raised.

Aoi was so focused in his thoughts that he didn't notice the girl who was carrying a shopping basket walking in his direction, and thus there was a resulting collision.

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(Note: This is before Haruhi begins at Ouran Academy.)

Haruhi was looking forward to beginning school next Monday. It would be just one step closer to achieving her dream of walking in her mother's footsteps to join the profession of law. Sure, she didn't expect to get accepted to Ouran Academy. It was one of the best academies in the country, admittedly, but it was also one for the wealthy. And while Haruhi and her father didn't exactly starve, they weren't rolling in money either. Hell, she didn't even have money for the uniform, after she had bought all her books. Oh well, she could always wear that sweatshirt that her dad had mistakenly bought a few sizes too big and thus had never worn. Of course, when he had bought it, Fujioka Genma (is it?) did not think that it would one day function as his daughter's high school uniform.

Snapping her thoughts from her imminent schooling career, Haruhi perused her shopping list in her mind as she thought about anything missing. Needless to say, she didn't notice the person she was going to collide with before they collided.

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They were both knocked off balance, and the girl's, thankfully empty, shopping basket was upended next to her, the girl herself resting on her posterior on the linoleum, looking more than a little dazed. Aoi was in a similar position opposite her, though less out-of-it. He looked to see who or what he had collided with and saw a girl with dark brown hair and big brown eyes sitting on the floor opposite him.

He cursed mentally. This was so not his day. First, he'd made that poor little sales assistant cry and then he'd snapped at poor, innocent Noboru and blew his siblings off. Now, just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he'd managed to knock an innocent girl off her feet. He just hoped she wasn't about to start bawling.

Hurriedly, Aoi stood up and offered a hand to help the girl up. "Are you okay?" he asked guiltily, as the girl was still looking a little dazed.

"Huh?" she asked, as if snapping out of a daydream. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry," she assured him. Aoi breathed a sigh of relief that she was not another emotional basket-case. Then immediately felt guilty for thinking about that poor little sales assistant in such an unflattering manner.

Something must have showed on his face, because the girl tugged on the sleeve of his shirt and re-assured him, "Really, I'm fine. No harm done." She offered him a smile which Aoi felt himself returning, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Okay. Sorry about that. I wasn't really paying attention," Aoi apologized. Now that they were both on their feet and relatively uninjured, Aoi appraised subtly the girl he had inadvertently knocked over. She had straight dark brown hair that reached to the middle of her back and doe-like expressive brown eyes. She was not overly feminine in her stature, but rather diminutive and radiated calm and understanding. All in all, Aoi felt drawn to her, not in the kind of way a guy would see a potential girlfriend, but more of a protective older brother way.

Must be his inner brotherly instincts surfacing.

"Hello, my name is Aoi," he heard himself say.

"Fujioka Haruhi," the girl said with a smile.

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AN:

So how about it? This starts a week before Haruhi starts at Ouran. Tell me what you think.

Oh, and thank you for your reviews!!!

As thanks, next chapter's summary…

After meeting Fujioka Haruhi at the mall, somehow, somewhere, Aoi got invited to dinner at the Fujioka household. (Drum roll, please)… The fated meeting between Fujioka Genma a.k.a. Ranka and Aoi… What will happen? Will there be bloodshed? Murder? Or *gulp* potential wedding bells?

XP Tell me what you think!! Thanks again, reviewers!


	4. Chapter 4 Dinner with Daddy

AN:

Wow, so glad nobody lost interest… I never expected it to last… To tell the truth. But anyway, since you guys are all such faithful reviewers and readers…

Ta-da! Chapter 4!!!

Oh, and btw, thanks to the reviewer who looked up Wikipedia for Haruhi's dad's name, but I think it's ok, as from now onwards I'll just refer to him as Ranka, though I reserve the right to make exceptions. It's easier to remember, rite?

Molto Alesato: Congrats! You guessed right about Ryoji (amended) and Aoi! Though I bet you didn't guess the part about Noboru, right? Want to know what I wrote about Noboru, well keep reading and remember to R & R!

Wolfspeaker01: Thanks, I went back and checked and it was a typing error. Glad to know you've been reading so closely! Thanks!

Disclaimer: And no, I do NOT own any of the characters except for Noboru and any other OCs I introduce later in the fic, if any. (Honestly, you'd think some people would get it already…)

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Chapter 4: Dinner with Daddy

"So, Haruhi-san-" Aoi began, as he hefted the loaded shopping basket, glancing at his companion walking next to him, only to be interrupted when she mock-glared at him. (Aoi had offered to help her with her shopping to apologize for running into her.)

"You can call me Haruhi-chan, or Haruhi, Aoi-san."

Aoi grinned sheepishly. "I just thought you would be uncomfortable with it. I mean, Japanese people give a lot of significance to honorifics, don't they?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable and more than a little guilty as he remembered that he had snapped at Noboru earlier and had addressed him without the '-san'.

"Well, yes, I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "I guess we do. But actually it all depends on how close you are to that person. Normally I wouldn't really allow anyone outside of my immediate family or closer friends call me that but somehow," Haruhi paused, looking at Aoi with those warm brown eyes that seemed to search his soul, "I feel drawn to you."

And of course, Haruhi, the ever oblivious girl didn't realize that what she had just said basically counted as a pick-up line. It was good that Aoi wasn't interested in girls, or Haruhi would have been very vulnerable. Aoi knew that what attracted Haruhi was no conscious effort on her part but the magic that thrummed just beneath the surface of his skin. It was like a fire that burned within him, drawing moths to it unknowingly. He'd discovered that particular effect after he'd woken up from his coma, and needless to say, he had been none too happy about it. Or in Aoi's words, 'I feel like a bloody Veela!' And of course, Aoi, the ever oblivious boy didn't know that his own appearance and attitude was more than enough of a lure to attract others to him.

"Anyway, why do you seem as if you're very unfamiliar with Japanese culture? You're Japanese, aren't you?" Haruhi asked suddenly, glancing towards Aoi.

"Well, yes, I suppose, I would be. Actually I'm half-Japanese only, with one of my parents being a European. If it seems that I don't know Japanese culture all that well, that's because I don't. Prior to coming to Japan, I lived with my European parent. It's just recently that I moved to Japan," Aoi explained, the back-up story coming easily to his lips. (AN: And yes, Aoi could pass for a Eurasian, at the very least. I mean, I know none of his siblings or he himself looks remotely Asian, but they could always say they inherited more of their European parents' features.)

"And since I'm calling you Haruhi-chan, it's only right that you call me Aoi-niisan. Or niichan, if you like," he offered with a smile. Though a moment later, he frowned. "And no, I don't care whether you or I am older. You're shorter than me so you'll call me niisan. I will ignore you if you call me _Aoi-chan_."

Haruhi laughed, her laughter warming his heart. "All right, fine then. So then since you're my honorary brother, as I'm calling you niisan, _Aoi-niisan_, what do you say to having dinner at my place? You know, to repay you for helping me with grocery shopping. After all, I wasn't paying attention either, and then we'll call it even." (Poor, poor innocent and naïve Haruhi. Ryoji never taught you not to bring strangers home, did he? But then again, Ryoji himself is mighty strange…)

A frown took over Aoi's face as he considered the offer. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not that I don't want to, but I don't want to be a bother," he explained. Aoi was not sure, but he could guess at a glance that Haruhi wasn't in a very comfortable financial position, and putting another person at the table might just overbalance her budget. The last thing he wanted to do was to trouble someone whom he'd already considered an honorary sister.

"Oh, don't worry, niisan," Aoi smiled at the way Haruhi was already comfortably calling him niisan, "you wouldn't be a bother. Besides, otoosan's rarely home anyway. I'd enjoy the company." At that, a melancholic look came over Haruhi's face before a determinedly cheerful expression took its place.

Aoi was caught in a dilemma. He could fulfill Haruhi's need for companionship, anything to remove that melancholy from her heart, but he'd put a bigger strain on her household finances. He finally made a resolute, if a little abrupt, decision. "Haruhi-chan, would you mind if some other people joined us? Namely, my siblings. They're all younger than me, so I don't feel right about leaving them home alone."

Haruhi blinked, before smiling warmly. "Oh, sure, why not? The more the merrier!"

Aoi didn't offer to reimburse her food expenses, knowing Haruhi would probably refuse. It was scary how easily Aoi managed to read people, but alas, it had been a valuable talent during the war. Instead, he had a better idea. He excused himself hurriedly and flipped out his phone to call the most level-headed of his siblings.

Saiki.

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After Aoi had left and the sales assistant was reasonably calmed, the rest of his siblings didn't feel very much like going on a shopping spree anymore and the depression was heavy in the air. But for the sake of all the others, whom each mistakenly believed still wanted to continue, everyone else kept going. Even Nao and Warai had stopped making jokes.

Noboru couldn't help but sympathize, seeing the despondent looks that each of them sported, despite how hard they were trying to keep it hidden. And yes, he does still sympathize even with Akka-chan, who currently looked like someone had just killed her favorite puppy, and was the most expressive in her actions, dragging her feet with a downcast look. Her normally bouncy red hair had even seemingly lost its shine.

Suddenly their little pity party was interrupted as Saiki's cell phone rang. It was a shock to say the least. None of them knew anyone in Japan, yet and yet, there was someone calling Saiki's cell phone. Of course, the logical answer would be the caller just _had _to be their missing eldest brother, Natsui Aoi. Saiki quickly flipped out his phone and expectedly, the reader's ID read 'Niisama'.

He quickly answered, feeling the intense eyes of his siblings boring into him as they watched him quietly.

"Niisama?"

It was like the word was a signal to start talking, and all at once. In short, utter MAYHEM.

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Aoi waited patiently for his brother to answer the call. He hoped that Saiki wouldn't shout. But then again, Saiki doesn't do shouts. Whisper furiously, maybe, but shouts? No way in frozen hell. Therefore, his enlightened decision to call Saiki to hopefully get through to his other siblings.

Without the fancy words, Aoi was employing the ultimate act of cowardice and using Saiki as a shield against his other siblings.

"Niisama?" Saiki's voice came through the connection as the call was picked up.

But before Aoi could get a word in edgewise, chaos erupted on the other end of the connection, as his worried family asked questions like 'Where are you?' and 'Are you okay?' while some of them apologized, 'We didn't mean to make you mad' 'I mean, you were already suffering from jet-lag and everything', while some of them were spitting mad at him and was making their opinions known, 'How could you be so irresponsible?' 'You're acting like a child!'

"I had better not have heard what I thought I heard coming from your mouth, Natsui Kenshiki Hybris Potter-Black."

It was just a whisper, but it might have been a shout with the sudden silence on the other side of the connection. Aoi could imagine his blond-haired brother clear his throat uncomfortably and say:

"Of course not, Niisama."

Aoi hummed in clear disbelief, before he sighed tiredly. "Put me on loudspeaker, Saiki." He waited for the resultant beep from being put on loudspeaker before he started speaking.

"Look, I'm sorry for running off like that, but I was annoyed and tired from jet-lag. I didn't want to depress you guys even more by hanging around you when I was in such a mood. And, Noboru-san, I really am sorry for being so rude. With stress… and all the craziness… and I was tired… well, anyway, yeah." (eloquent, isn't he?)

He waited as the endless string of forgiving words filtering through the phone finally abated before talking again.

"Listen, guys, I made a friend at the supermarket and she's just invited us to dinner. So you guys okay with that?"

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"… with that?"

Saiki paused and looked around, trying to gauge the responses of his siblings. Some of them grinned, some nodded, while others just shrugged indifferently.

"Why not?"

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After finally agreeing with his siblings to meet at the entrance an hour later, due to them (Haruhi and Aoi) not having finished shopping, it was time to initiate Stage 2 of his master plan.

Dialling a second time on his portable hand phone, Aoi held it up to his mouth, listening to the dial tone for a moment before someone picked up. "Connect me to…"

20 minutes later…

Aoi smiled around the heavy load of grocery shopping he was attempting to shove through the supermarket's entrance despite the two sales staff who were helpfully assisting him by pushing along two more trolleys of the stuff. Haruhi was walking next to him, practically bouncing with excitement and joy. She turned towards him, an absolutely radiant smile adorning her face.

"I can't believe that we actually won two weeks' worth of groceries! I mean, it's great and all, but isn't it so lucky? I don't even usually come to this supermarket and suddenly because I'm visitor no. 217, I get to save two weeks of grocery money!" Haruhi chattered on, laughing and smiling, not noticing the uncomfortable look on her niisan's face.

"Yeah, lucky," Aoi smiled uneasily. Haruhi was really lucky, and her lucky charm was Aoi, who owned the supermarket chain, not that Haruhi knew, of course.

"Anyway, do you see your brothers and sisters anywhere?" came the question as they neared the mall entrance. Aoi's emerald-green eyes scanned the immediate vicinity before finally resting on a gathering of kids that he identified as his siblings. He was more than a little relieved they hadn't stood him up or accidentally _forget_. To be honest, he wouldn't blame them if they did. He was the one who had acted like a petulant child and thrown a tantrum, even running off, when he was supposed to be the one responsible for his younger siblings. Excuses be damned, he should really have known better. Head filled with these guilty thoughts, Aoi, and Haruhi who was curious, the two approached, with the two supermarket employees right behind them.

When Aoi saw that his siblings had finally caught sight of him, he pushed the load that he had been heaving off onto the nearest sales staff, not noticing the indignant 'Oof' as said staff member was suddenly punched in the gut by a mountain of groceries. He drew near and was a few steps away before stopping.

Aoi bowed, his back bent and head lowered. "Gomenasai."

Jaws dropped. Aoi, or rather Harry bloody Potter bowed to NO ONE! His siblings looked like he just told them he had signed them all up for an experimental sex change operation. After all, Aoi was more stubborn as a mule, as hard-headed as a bull, as… well, you get the picture. Heck he hadn't even bowed to the bloody Pureblood-Wannabe-Who-Was-Voldie! Their shock showed through. Noboru, at the moment, was thinking if he would last the year with all the stress that would be sure to accumulate and weaken his heart, serving under such a surprising and temperamental Master and Co.

Nao and Warai could never handle overly serious atmospheres. So they decided to break the tension. How? By doing an eerily reminiscent impersonation of the late Molly Weasley. Hands braced on their hips, they strode forward and shook their heads in a mock-disapproving manner.

"Honestly, niisama-"

"-we're surprised at you-"

"-simply _shocked_."

"How could you-

"-abandon us helpless-"

"-naïve, innocents-"

"-to the terror that is Tokyo?"

At that, everyone couldn't help laughing. For Nao and Warai were a lot of things, but innocent? Maybe until they spoke their first phrase. Tension released and worries eased, his siblings began to notice the unfamiliar female standing a little ways behind him, glancing at her curiously.

"Oh, right," Aoi smiled, stepping out of the way so that they could fully see Haruhi-chan. He gave her a subtle push forward so she was standing halfway in front of him, in full view of his brothers and sisters. "This is Haruhi-chan. She invited us over for dinner." In a sudden turnabout, Aoi said seriously, "Be respectful and call her nee-chan."

_Wow, when Aoi-niisan… wow, I'm even calling him niisan inside my own mind… anyways, when Aoi-niisan mentioned that his siblings would be joining us for dinner, I expected maybe one, two or at the most, three. But there are enough people here to make their own school club! Wow, I'm so lucky to get a free grocery prize today of all days!_ Haruhi thought, appraising them herself. (AN: God, can you believe this girl?)

At a glance from Aoi, his siblings introduced themselves one by one, and Haruhi smiled politely, introducing herself. When it came to Noboru, however…

"Um, Aoi-niisan, who…?" Haruhi asked, gesturing at Noboru, who was looking very uncomfortable being under the intense surveillance of a fifteen-year-old girl.

"Oh, this is Ayamino Noboru-san. I suppose, you could call him our guardian, kind of, while we're in Japan," Aoi replied. "Anyways, Haruhi-chan, why don't we go ahead already? We shouldn't be bothering the helpful staff longer than necessary." He was glancing at the gradually reddening faces of the two sales staff who had assisted them with their grocery prize, both from irritation and the heavy loads they were still carrying.

Haruhi gave a sheepish smile as she, Aoi and his siblings, at a sharp look from Aoi, all gathered around the two hapless supermarket employees and each took a bag, sharing the load amongst them, although Noboru looked like he was going to protest for a moment at the unbecoming manner his young charges were behaving, carrying shopping bags of all things, he had an internal battle with himself and finally relented, accepting the odd behavior as part and parcel of his new Master and his siblings.

As the more talkative of his siblings fluttered around Haruhi, who was leading the group, naturally since she was the only one who knew where they were going, asking her questions, which amazingly, she was able to handle with calm and patience, Aoi purposely lagged behind until he was walking at the rear of the group, keeping up in stride with Noboru who was walking next to him, carrying two shopping bags of his own.

"… gomen."

The whisper was so soft that Noboru had thought he was hearing things, until Aoi visibly continued murmuring, although at a more audible volume now.

"I didn't mean to suddenly explode like that this afternoon at the optician's. I'm usually better at handling stress, and all, but sometimes, the pot just boils over." Aoi was determinedly not looking at Noboru, instead he had discovered a newfound fascination with his shoes. After all, Aoi rarely apologized. He admitted that he was a prideful individual, but he was not arrogant to the point of ignoring his own faults. "So… anyway, gomen." With that said, Aoi hurried to catch up with Haruhi, without waiting for Noboru's reply.

As Aoi rushed past him to the forefront of their little group, Noboru could plainly see that his face was flushed red from embarrassment and maybe more than a little guilt. He had to restrain himself from going 'Awww!' at the adorable nature of his new Master, and remind himself that self-respecting, professional butlers did NOT react like fangirls hanging after an idol. Honestly, Aoi-sama was so CUTE!

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"Wait just a moment; dinner will be finished soon!" Haruhi called from the attached kitchen. Meanwhile, Aoi and the others took their time surveying the small residence which apparently housed Haruhi and her father. It seems that his assumption about Haruhi's finances rang true. Aoi determinedly refused to feel guilty that he had manipulated it so that Haruhi won the grocery prize. After all, it was for a good cause, and he'd settle the reimbursement maybe sometime tomorrow or day after.

"So, niisama, never thought you'd so easily accept another sister," Kenshiki injected slyly. "After all, it's not like you don't have enough to handle, with all of us. This isn't some sly plot to have someone to take care of us instead, is it?"

"Don't say that about niichan!" Yuujin snarled heatedly, in defense of his eldest brother, his face gradually approaching the shade and colour of his hair, due to the heightening anger. Aoi's hand subtly squeezing his shoulder calmed him down significantly, and Yuujin continued, in a more level tone, "You should know very well that niichan would never do something so selfish and lowly."

Kenshiki snorted. "Of course I know what kind of person niisama is. Don't you know the meaning of a joke? Oh, I forgot with the bad jokes that spew from your mouth, you wouldn't know a joke if it slapped you in the face!" he said snidely, his pale face rapidly gaining two splotches of red.

As Yuujin opened his mouth to retort, Aoi said quietly, "That's enough, Yuujin, Kenshiki. You two are both my brothers and I don't like to see you fight. I don't expect a miracle overnight but I hope you two would, at the very least, get to know each other better before jumping to preconceptions and assumptions."

The two quieted and intoned ashamedly, "Hai, niisama."

The very nearly bloody battle avoided, chatter started up again, as everyone talked at the same time, talking about everything they had seen and heard and experienced at a Japanese shopping centre. Aoi smiled as he listened patiently, determined to make up for slighting his siblings earlier and somehow managing to get the gist of what his siblings were all chattering about at the same time, although their words were all jumbled up together in a cacophony of different voices.

But a sudden silence ensued as the front door slammed open, and a beautiful redhead walked in, calling out, "Haruhi-chan, I'm home!"

There were mixed reactions: Aoi and the more observant of his siblings could tell at a glance that the beauty was a _man_, and most probably Haruhi's father. His not-so-observant siblings were more blown away by the rambunctiousness displayed by the new arrival than any beauty displayed. Noboru, who was desperately single, was shell-shocked by the cheerful and decidedly exciting young lady presented to his eyes. He felt a blush coming on as he noticed that he was openly staring at the newcomer.

"Ah, okaeri," Haruhi greeted, hands full with the dinner dishes for the night.

Fujioka Ryoji a.k.a. Ranka turned around with a twist of his slender waist, accentuated by his feminine attire and immediately latched onto his only beloved daughter, though not too tightly, cautious of the hot dish that Haruhi was handling. Meanwhile, their guests watched with barely veiled amusement as Haruhi walked towards the small table in the centre of the room, seemingly unaware that she was simultaneously dragging her father who had yet to let go.

As they all sat down, Haruhi introduced them to each other. Although when she introduced Ranka as her father, some of the kids who had really believed that the stranger was a female were shocked, but it was only a short while as the conversation gradually turned to other topics. What was really amusing was that Noboru was unknowingly wearing a lovesick expression on his face, and didn't even notice anything that Haruhi said after he heard the young beauty's name. As such, the comment about the she being a he completely blew over his head. The siblings similarly introduced themselves although a moment of hilarity came when it was Aoi's turn.

"Good evening, Ranka-san. My name is Aoi."

Whereas Ranka had just listened passively when the kids introduced themselves although, admittedly, they were all simply _beautiful, _he paused only in his appraisal of Aoi. His eyes slowly circled Aoi and looked him calmly from top to bottom, making Aoi more than a little uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze. While Ranka was usually overprotective over his only daughter, Aoi being of Haruhi's age _should_ have registered as a concern with the overbearing father, but his _oh-so-feminine_ instincts seemed to have recognized the lack of threat or romantic feelings directed at his only offspring.

He finally stopped staring, which Aoi was grateful for, but like they usually say, don't count your chickens before they hatch, as Ranka, just a moment later, sprung from Haruhi's side and latched onto Aoi's arm. "Haruhi-chan, you've brought me a new daughter!"

Which of course resulted in the helpless snickering and amusement from the rest of the dinner-guests. Haruhi tilted her head in confusion for a moment before simply shrugging the whole thing off as another of her odd father's eccentricities. All in all, dinner was a merry and jolly event, with never a moment of quiet, in spite of Aoi repeatedly batting away Ranka-san's attempts to latch onto his arm.

After saying farewell and promises to keep in touch with the Fujioka household, they walked back calmly to the parking space at the shopping mall where their transportation home was still patiently waiting, taking the time to just enjoy the quiet night that the residential neighbourhood offered, some ways away from the city centre.

Aoi then decided he was bored and decided to do a very evil, evil thing.

"Noboru-san, I'm so happy you found someone. Ranka-san looks like he'll make a _great boyfriend,_" Aoi congratulated, in a seemingly nonchalant and completely innocent manner before jogging to keep up with his siblings.

At the growing pallor of Noboru's face, yes, VERY EVIL indeed.

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AN:

Thanks for your reviews, and keep them coming to refresh my ideas! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Oh, and R & R, please XD!!!


	5. Chapter 5 Surprising Meeting at School

AN:

Thank you! Thank you! I have to thank… Oops, I'm not at the Awards Ceremony for Fanfictions, am I? (blushes)

Oh, well… It's just a matter of time… Mwahahaha!

…Nobody heard that, right?

…Ahem! Anyways, I'd still like to thank you all for your great reviews! Keep them coming!

Oh, and to the reviewer who asked about their familiars, don't worry, they'll be there!

Btw, I noticed that some of you may have problems remembering the new names, so I will include a short bio of the newly named characters at the end of each chapter to un-confuse you, beginning from this chapter. Hope this clears any residual confusion up.

Enough chit-chat! Let's get this thing rolling!!!

Disclaimer: I have no legal ownership of HP or Ouran, or any other crossovers that actually find their way here in the future (I do accept suggestions-hint!hint!). Really. Seriously. I AM NOT SIRIUS! So don't give me that damn SIRIUS JOKE! …. Apologies to anyone who actually finds the joke funny.

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Chapter 5: Surprising Meeting at School

Ah, the day is so calm and peaceful… Birds are chirping and flowers are blooming and-

"NO! There is no way I'll let you! And you can't make me!"

…There goes the calm and peace, as the staff of the manor all sighed as one, desperately pining after the peace and quiet that used to be the norm within the pristine household. One Ayamino Noboru being the loudest and most despairing. The new Master and his family had only been housed for less than a week, and Noboru frightened himself when he thought how he had already gotten used to the antics and mischief running rampant within the household, courtesy of the new residents.

First, he'd found one of the redheaded boys, Ryuu-sama, wrestling his pet Dragonite, something that was supposed to be EXTINCT, into the public onsen (AN: 'hot springs') at the corner of the grounds. Of course, the boy just **HAD** to spot him looking in, and naturally asked for his help. Noboru, who had always prided himself on being a good butler, couldn't exactly refuse. Which explained why Noboru was nursing a vicious bite and burnt fingers later, when said redhead didn't even get scratched! Damn that… (AN: Now, now, Noboru, you shouldn't be cursing your Master's brother. What would your father – the previous butler, might I remind you? – think?)

Later, he'd had to appease an angry Head Gardener when another of the redheads, Shijou-sama, had dug up some of the prized flowerbeds in the previously majestic gardens, apparently on a quest to hunt down treasure. Treasure, of all things! Noboru might have been more understanding if Shijou-sama was trying to dig up a time capsule, for sentimentality and nostalgia's sake, but no, it just had to be the _kuso_ Tokugawa treasure trove! The boy even had the gall to say that he didn't know when Noboru had calmed himself and asked him what he intended to do with said treasure if found! If it was a materialistic desire, maybe Noboru would have understood, after all, who didn't want to be rich? But no… the boy was a raving history maniac! It was a miracle that the gardener didn't quit, although Noboru did suffer from sore eardrums after being subjected to a screaming lecture from said gardener.

Of course, there's always the bane of his existence – the cute, _innocent_ Akka-sama, who had promptly kicked his shin when he had commented on her frightful bed-hair. It was an innocent comment, Noboru had just wanted to ask if she needed help with calming her hair. Sure, it was the morning and Noboru had forgotten the monster Akka-sama was without her morning chocolate, but still, it was no reason to put a _fracture_ in his shin-bone!

And, of course, Fuushigi-sama, who Noboru had once believed to be a well-behaved, demure child so unlike from her other siblings, until he found her hanging from the dining room's chandelier, apparently to look for Dovenalls, little creatures that, according to her, resided in loose ceiling tiles. What the hell were Dovenalls anyway?! He had almost broken his neck when he attempted to get her down when he fell from the ladder. Thank goodness Aoi-sama managed to stop what would have been his last day in the world with a wave of his hand, when he had looked into the commotion coming from the dining room. Noboru couldn't believe it when the cause of all his trouble just floated down, especially when he had gone to all the trouble to get her down! (AN: Btw, the staff inside the manor are all either Squibs, or wizards who had married Muggles, or through other means, knew about the wizarding world. Just wanted to clear it up!)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. He had already gotten in the way of a few 'little spats' according to Aoi-sama, between the two sets of rivals who seemed to always get on each other's last nerve. Of course, he's referring to Kenshiki-sama and Yuujin-sama... he had been relishing his new life as a half-badger half-mole before Aoi-sama managed to turn him back… and the infamous pair of Saiki-sama and Kenjou-sama. Granted, this pair was slightly tamer than the other pair, at least they hadn't resorted to wands, and the victim of their arguments was usually Kenshiki-sama, but said blond was always usually in a bitchy mood right after, and tended to take it out on the staff. Noboru had already had to comfort twelve maids who had burst into tears after facing Kenshiki-sama, especially when another argument occurred between Kenjou-sama and Saiki-sama.

The rest of the siblings were remarkably well-behaved, except for those two twin trouble-making, prank-setting, damn… (AN: Ah ah ah! – shakes finger – what did I say about cursing your master, Noboru-chan?)… ahem, twin brothers. Noboru had just walked through a doorway, and promptly turned around to see that he had purple hair with pink dots styled in a Mohawk, with bright electric green _punk _clothes – the whole leather ensemble with spikes and collars, bare midriff, etcetera. And let me tell you – Ayamino Noboru does not _do _punk! One of the many pranks the twins had played… oh, he didn't catch them red-handed but he just _knew_ it had to be them, especially since it was their bedroom doorway he had walked through. Noboru, desperate to change his attire, which he knew was magical, had applied logic and decided the most logical answer was to walk back out through the door, hoping it would reverse his change of clothing. Of course, Noboru forgot one vital face, which is that magic and logic just _don't mix_. The next thing he knew, he was dressed in a tube wedding dress, with what he dearly hoped was not a g-string cutting into his ass. To make things worse, it was just then Aoi-sama had to walk down that particular corridor. And his reaction…

"Nice look, Noboru-san. Please invite me to the wedding, though I'm not sure if that's really Ranka-san's style. I'd have thought he was the one who wanted to be walking down the aisle." And simply continued on his way. Yes, it was a miracle that Noboru hadn't burst a blood vessel. Yet.

Anyway, back to current events…

"NO! NO! And… wait –NO!"

Noboru sighed. He knew he shouldn't have gotten up this morning, just like he knew every morning since his new Master arrived. He wanted nothing more but to crawl back into his warm, comfortable bed and ignore the fact that he was a grown man and a butler, as well he knew, and he shouldn't be acting like a petulant child. But, alas, his duties had been drilled into him since his great-great-grandfather's time, as he will drill it into any son of his, and so… Noboru stepped into the midst of utter CHAOS.

He opened the door tentatively, still hearing the massive argument taking place, cautious in case of any hexes or curses that may be fired. He took one step in… and boom, a flash of light, and he had a Rapunzel-length braid that was trailing on the floor behind him. Noboru sighed. He was really starting to hate his life, and contemplating simply offing himself, to spare himself the tragic inevitability of dying from a migraine.

Aoi was frozen in mid-step as were his apparent pursuers, Kenshiki and Akka, who were both wielding wands pointing at him. Apparently attempting to experiment on his waist-length hair. Aoi sighed and waving a hand, allowing Noboru to regain his short dark brown hair. Well, looks like Noboru wouldn't be offing himself, anyways. They both looked sheepish and apologized, faces blushing. The only reaction from Kenshiki was…

"Well, at least we know what that spell does now. Now what about this one…" he murmured turning back to the wizarding magazine that Chishiki was helpfully holding up to his perusal. At those words, Akka perked up and joined him in perusal, whereas Aoi was still apologizing to Noboru, despite Noboru's feeble attempts at waving away any apologies. As such, he didn't manage to avoid in time the spell that came flying his way. Another flash of light and… Noboru blinked. So did the rest of the audience.

Aoi's freefalling hair was now tied up in a high ponytail with straight bangs slightly obscuring but not concealing his sharp green eyes, and dressed in a long-sleeved long black jacket, with a white front and silver buttons that were buttoned all the way up to his neck, paired with a black set of dress pants that were partly concealed by his long jacket, with the ends just peeking from under it. What was the oddest thing about his get-up was the long black katana, sheathed, strapped to his hip. (AN: Think Kanda Yuu from D. Gray Man.)

Aoi turned and glared at the perpetrator, who was wearing an innocent smile and twirling her wand between her fingers. The others all looked at her too. "What? I like Yuu-chan!" she exclaimed in self-defense. Apparently, Akka had gained a new fangirlism in the stoic samurai exorcist from the Japanese anime. (AN: Yes, I like Yuu-chan, too!)

Aoi sighed, his voice tired and strained, pinching the bridge of his nose, a movement that was mirrored by Noboru and the more intelligent and less fashion-conscious of his siblings. Without saying a word, and just simply waving his hand, the exorcist's uniform vanished to be replaced by the standard Ouran Academy uniform complete with coat and tie. His katana was replaced by a schoolbag filled with the books for his classes, and the ugly glasses that obscured his beautiful eyes in place, resting on the bridge of his nose. With another sharp jerk of his hand, he conjured a golfer's cap which he promptly shoved the ponytail that his hair had been tied into and placed it tightly on his head. His siblings found themselves dressed in the required dress code for the elementary section of Ouran Academy.

When Akka started to sulk at the disappearance of her creation, Aoi mentioned nonchalantly, "You do know we're supposed to not attract attention, right, Akka-chan?" At those words, she turned crimson. Akka had indeed forgotten that little fact, and had given to her girlish desire to treat her eldest brother like her very own living, breathing dress-up doll.

After having suitably reprimanded his sister, Aoi turned towards Noboru, a cajoling, if somewhat sheepish smile, gracing his face. "Um… Noboru-san, could you have the chauffeur drive us to school?"

"Of course, Aoi-sama. The chauffeur is already waiting with the limousine right outside," Noboru replied, back straight and face solemn, although Aoi noticed the relieved smile trying to worm its way into his facial expression. Probably because he had escaped from any embarrassment, as the only casualty for that morning was his hair, which was easily remedied and immediately, too. Noboru almost cheered in delight and did a happy dance right in the breakfast room, as he realized that all his charges would be away at school for the whole day.

As Noboru watched the limousine pulling out of the driveway and down the familiar cliff road that led up and through the manor grounds, he couldn't help but laugh heartily. There were no children in the house today! Yay! He calmed his laughter and smiled as he thought of the relative peace and quiet he would be enjoying for that day.

Oh, dear, perhaps he should have noticed the little_ extra_ clip on his tie…

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, in the limousine, two twins were mentally counting down as their transport continued on its journey.

3…

2…

1…

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Noboru was calmly walking down the halls, free from the little monster… ahem, masters, when he spotted two maids dusting the dining room's furniture. He stepped forward to inspect their work, when the two young women caught sight of him and with a shout, "IYAA!!" (AN: 'NOO!'), one slapped him, and the other shoved the dirty feather duster into his face, before running down the halls, still screaming. He was wondering he had done, when he caught sight of his reflection in the well-polished candelabra.

"WAIT! I AM NOT A STRIPPER!" (AN: Draw your own conclusions, people!) he shouted, running after the two innocent young girls, his exclamation reaching twin pairs of ears who were just waiting for the outburst in a certain limousine, and they, smirking at each other, gave their lookalike a mental high-five.

And he still hadn't noticed the innocent-looking clip on his tie, which, inexplicably he was still wearing…

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After dropping his siblings off at the elementary section…

Aoi smiled as he faced the people who would be his classmates for the next two years. He deliberately managed to make his smile rather shaky and nervous, completely withholding any of the usual confidence that defined him. After all, he was supposed to be a new student and he didn't want to scare away any of the possible friends he might have. It didn't mean he wasn't actually nervous, of course not. He was, but he usually managed to make people respect him, because of the air of self-assuredness that usually surrounded him. But Aoi didn't want to be something special again. He just wanted to be normal.

Or as normal as he could get.

The teacher waved him off towards a seat at the back of the classroom, which he gladly took. Aoi was glad that the teacher didn't actually reprimand him for his cap, as he really, really didn't want to cut his hair. After all, long hair had straightened his usual untameable mop of black hair. As the class progressed however, Aoi was getting the feeling of an intense stare upon his person. Without letting the other person know, he returned the stare, from under his eyelashes. He finally identified the one who had been so insistently staring at him. A little ways to the front was a black-haired boy who was looking through smart oval spectacles, repeatedly staring at him, although he managed to escape the teacher's attention.

Aoi couldn't help the resentment welling up as he realized the boy was tall – much, _much_ taller than his own diminutive frame. And the way he was staring – it was lucky that Aoi was subjected to Saiki's own penetrating gaze on a daily basis, or he might have shivered at the intensity of the unknown boy's stare. As the class finished, and it was time for lunch, the boy was _still_ staring at him, though much more openly now, while plainly ignoring the antics of the flamboyant blond beside him who was waxing about some 'gentleman' and 'beautiful Ayanokoji-hime'.

Aoi stalked out of the classroom in a way that would have made his old Potions Master proud, and decided one thing: 'I hate Ootori Kyouya.'

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Ootori Kyouya was a smart young man and though he was the third son of his family, he knew that he was the most capable of his siblings. He prided himself on his intelligence and especially his information network. He was privy to everything that goes on around Ouran Academy, and _almost_ everything that goes on in Tokyo. He had a huge sense of curiosity, he knew, but he felt no shame about that. After all, if man wasn't curious, we'd still be swinging from the treetops and eating raw meat.

So naturally, his curiosity was piqued when he discovered there would be a mass enrollment of twelve new students in the academy, one for the high school section and eleven for the elementary section, all at the same time and apparently the same family. Kyouya was surprised and curious. After all, the typical rich family usually didn't have that many children running around, hoping to avoid any inheritance conflicts in foreseeable future. It just wasn't _done_. He'd immediately checked them all out. Apparently they were all siblings, although adoptive and from the Natsui family.

They all had pictures attached to their records and Kyouya had to admit that if the Host Club persisted even after his and Tamaki's graduation, he knew they would be scouted and recruited for said club as soon as they reached high school level. It was the eldest brother that held his attention, as he was the only one without a photograph attached. Moreover, he had checked out the name Natsui, which he wasn't aware of. Apparently they owned a minuscule few shops.(AN: This is, of course, only the records that Aoi had allowed to be recorded.) He had immediately dropped his research. After all, with such little financial power, Kyouya could hardly require _them_ to be of any aid to him.

However, seeing Natsui Aoi for the first time, he had immediately straightened up in his seat and watched as the completely average boy stutter a few nervous words of introduction, before stumbling over to a seat at the back of the class. Kyouya couldn't help surreptitiously staring at the object of his interest throughout the class, while listening with half an ear to the teacher's lecture. By all accounts, the nondescript, completely _ordinary _boy should have passed right through his radar, but there was just something…

At the end of the class, Ootori Kyouya decided one thing as he watched Natsui Aoi depart from the classroom: 'I'll be watching you, Natsui-kun.'

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Aoi was still irritated at the way that strange boy had been staring at him. What gave him the right to look at him as if he were a science experiment, to be dissected on his worktable? Ootori Kyouya, he remembered. That was the boy's name, wasn't it? Pausing in his stride as he considered the ways he could avoid the unwanted attention of the _stupid_ Ootori Kyouya, he didn't notice someone walk in his direction, messy head in a book.

Naturally, it was set for a collision course.

The two participants in the accident were both knocked back, although Aoi miraculously kept to his feet this time, the other person was pushed back a little, and her book fluttered to the marble floor. As Aoi again apologized for his inattention for the second time in less than a week, and bent down to retrieve the book, he didn't notice the person that had ran smack into him freeze.

"Niisan?"

Aoi snapped back up so fast at that tentative voice that it was a wonder that he didn't twist his spine. "Haruhi-chan?" he whispered disbelievingly.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AN:

Here is Chapter 5! Enjoyed it? I hope you did!

Oh, and before I forget…

Bio of Natsui Ryuu

Name: Natsui Ryuu (previously known as Charlie Weasley)

Current Age: 11 years old

Likes: Dragons (obviously), his brothers and sisters, especially Aoi-niichan, Quidditch

Dislikes: People who bully his brothers and sisters, and people who hurt or imprison dragons

Details:

Ryuu is not the most talkative of his siblings. He enjoys rather the satisfaction that comes from working with his beloved Dragonite, Pegasus. He prefers action to talk, quite literally. He always manages to rope either his eldest brother or another one of his siblings or their new butler into taking care of his little pet, and he definitely enjoys physical activity. He doesn't mean to, but sometimes Ryuu manages to get in trouble, although he is one of the better-behaved of his siblings, especially when the situation concerns anything to do with dragons or his siblings. Action before talk is his general drive in life.

Like it? Hate it? (Please don't….sob….)

Please tell me in your reviews, remember suggestions are always welcome! Oh, and another thing, if you hate it, please **don't** tell me! Instead, tell me how to do **better**!!!

Read and Review!!!


	6. Chapter 6 Sibling Blowup

AN:

Thanx for all your wonderful, wonderful reviews, people!!!

Some of you, my dearest readers and reviewers, have given me a lot of good ideas and suggestions, and I sincerely thank you. (bows)

Okay……….. out with the seriousness! It is so NOT my style, and here comes what you're all waiting for…. Chapter SIX!!!

Oh, and maliciousmayhem, I do count Fred and George a.k.a. Nao and Warai as two people, though sometimes I make mistakes, so please bear with me.

Please enjoy.

Btw, the characters of HP do not belong to me. I mean, come on, if it does, I'd have crossed over HP and Ouran in real life rather than only in fanfics….

Warning: This chapter will be *kinda* serious.

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Chapter 6: Sibling Blow-up

"What are you doing here?!" were the twin exclamations that came from their mouths.

"I asked you first!" again, they both exclaimed. Aoi, seeing as this was going nowhere, quickly pulled Haruhi into the nearest corridor, which luckily was empty, as it was the corridor that led to the principal's office, which was avoided by students for obvious reasons.

"Haruhi-chan, will you tell me what you are doing here?" he whispered, calming his raging shock and surprise at discovering someone that should not have been in Ouran Academy in the first place. "And what are you wearing?! What happened to your hair?!" he exclaimed, finally noticing Haruhi's change in appearance.

And what a change it was. Instead of the female school uniform for girls, a pale yellow dress that reached past the knees with a ribbon at the collar, Haruhi was wearing a sweatshirt with the putrid color of dull brown and pants that were almost dragging on the floor. Aoi could no longer see her soulful brown eyes, as they were concealed by glasses not unlike his, though a little thinner, and her hair! It looked like someone had viciously chopped off her silky brown locks with a pair of kitchen scissors, which was actually what had happened.

"I'm a scholarship student at Ouran. But I couldn't afford the school uniform so I had to wear something else. It's quite lucky for me that the dress code isn't that strict. I stepped on my contacts so I had to wear these substitute spectacles. And my hair? Well, a kid from my neighbourhood stuck a piece of gum in my hair this morning, so I had no choice but to cut it off," she explained with an indifferent shrug, as if she did not just experience a huge 'makeover'. "Now what about you?"

Aoi was just glad that Haruhi's gaze was not accusatory, but revealed only innocent curiosity. He didn't want to have to lie to the innocent, kind girl he already considered as part of his family, of course along with her quirky father, but he couldn't exactly tell her the truth either. So he settled for a compromise.

"Well, my siblings and I are quite well-off and since our parents are gone now, I wanted to offer them the best money can buy, and where better to go to school than Ouran? Um, about my looks? Well, I had quite a problem with admirers," here Aoi couldn't hold back a blush as this was frighteningly true, "back at my old school, and I just wanted to be normal here. Kind of fade into the woodwork, so to speak." All of it was true, but it was not everything. There – a perfect compromise.

"Oh…" Haruhi murmured understandingly. "Okay." Then she noticed the small badge pinned to his collar that denoted his class. "You're in second year? You really are my niisan, then?" she mused.

Laughing good-naturedly, Aoi patted her lightly on the head, which Haruhi frowned at him for. Of course, that only made the grin on Aoi's face stretch wider. "By the way, I saw a map of the school grounds and apparently they have their own gardens. Why don't we go there for lunch? After we pick up the rest of my siblings, okay? We can all share bento."

Aoi didn't wait for Haruhi's reply and quickly pulled her along, her hand clasping his own, as they headed towards the elementary section.

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"KAMI! What the f-hell happened to your hair, Haruhi-neesama?" Kenshiki quickly backpedalled from saying the foul curse word when he caught sight of the murderous expression on his eldest brother's face, the intensity of which was just barely hidden by his glasses and the cap he wore.

Haruhi couldn't help but blush when so many people (all Aoi's siblings) were staring at her. She quickly explained the circumstances in which she found herself to be in that morning, that caused such a drastic change in her appearance. Some of the boys started laughing and snickering at her plight, before being silenced by a slight glare directed at them from their eldest brother. The girls meanwhile had contemplative looks, and were watching Haruhi intensely, most likely thinking how they could improve her current appearance. As Aoi watched the interaction between his siblings, he smiled indulgently and listened patiently as they bounced their thoughts off him in rapid fire.

After the bell from the bell tower rang twice, signaling the end of lunch hour, the siblings quickly got up and brushed any remnants of grass or dirt from their uniforms. Haruhi and Aoi both accompanied each sibling back to their respective classrooms, before making their own way back to their own classrooms. Aoi escorted Haruhi to her classroom first, as his own was right down the next hallway. Before she entered though, Aoi stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Haruhi-chan, we'll go home today, okay? I mean, class ends at five and by the time you reach home, it'll be quite late. I'd feel safer if you let me give you a lift home," Aoi said, noticing that she was about to refuse and probably give him some inane reason about not wanting to be a bother. "Besides, we do have a car and it would hardly be a bother," he said with a smile.

"Well… okay, then. I'll see you after school?" Haruhi agreed with much reluctance, shuffling her feet uncomfortably, really not wanting to cause any problems to her new niisan.

Aoi simply gave a nod, and smiled, giving her a gentle push towards her classroom door. She waved goodbye at him, and he, waving back, continued on towards his own classroom.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

As soon as Aoi turned to go down the hallway, his thoughts darkened again as he thought of the impudent staring that he had been subjected to from one Ootori Kyouya. He didn't notice his scowl grow deeper, engrossed as he was in the thoughts of his overly curious and nosy classmate. He wanted nothing more than to switch to a class in the same level with more normal students who were not as prying as he guessed the Ootori would be. Aoi sighed. He knew he couldn't without reason make such a demand, especially, when his only reason was that he didn't like his classmate. He laughed to himself at the absurdity of his logic.

As he reached his classroom door, Aoi determinedly pushed away any and all thoughts about the Ootori and schooled his expression into a more suitable mask with just the right degree of sheepishness and embarrassment at being late for class. But just as he applied strength in his hand to twist the ornate door knob, the door swung open and for the second time that day, Aoi walked smack dab into someone. Blushing and apologizing profusely for his mistake as he pulled away, he glanced upwards to see who he had ran into. It would just be his luck that it was…

Shit.

"That's quite all right, Natsui-kun," came the neutral tones of the tall, black-haired boy that had made himself the new bane of Aoi's existence. "It was an accident, after all. Now shall we? Sensei was quite worried when you didn't make it back in time for class. I was just on my way to search the grounds for you," Kyouya explained calmly, while simultaneously pulling Aoi into the class via a hand on his arm.

Aoi fought the urge to wrench his arm away. After all, to react in such a vicious manner just wouldn't fit his mild, demure persona, would it? And the last thing he wanted was to attract more unwanted attention. So Aoi just sucked it up, and wordlessly maneuvered his arm out of Kyouya's grip before walking towards the irate teacher, and explained that he had been lost on the school grounds, which wasn't technically a lie, since he had been lost, although that fact happened at the beginning of lunchtime. After a slight reprimand from the teacher, Aoi made his way back to his seat, trying to ignore the insistent black eyes that were _again_ staring at him.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kyouya knew he was right in his close observation of his new classmate. Kyouya wasn't usually one for listening to his instincts, but he just _knew_ he was right to continue observing the new Natsui Aoi. He had watched the confident stride which the new student had adopted as he exited the class, that completely defied the first impression Kyouya had of Natsui Aoi – a bumbling, shy and nervous little boy whose family had only just recently achieved enough wealth to be counted rich.

Kyouya was actually surprised at his own persistence in interest in the new student. By all accounts, he should have been more interested in the first ever scholarship student of Ouran Academy, but he simply _wasn't_. Not when there was a subject of more interest right within his own class. He knew he hadn't imagined the confidence and the very atmosphere that surrounded his new classmate. As he watched Natsui Aoi depart from the class, he was tempted to follow him, but this sort of aggressive action was simply not his style. No, Kyouya preferred subtlety and perhaps a little deceit to achieve his aims. You could call him underhanded, and Kyouya would just push his glasses up the bridge of his nose and give you the annoying smirk that plainly said, 'And what are you going to do about it?' He didn't fool himself that he was patient because Kyouya knew he was not, but persistent? Definitely.

"Are there any volunteers to go and look for Natsui-sama? I'm afraid that he may have lost his way. It is, after all, his first day in school," the teacher's voice cut through Kyouya's contemplations. Without making it look at all enthusiastic, simply neutral and calm, Kyouya raised his hand. He smiled beguilingly at the teacher and volunteered himself. It was not as much of a surprise to the classas you would think; Ootori Kyouya was known to be polite, well-mannered and helpful to everyone, after all. The only one who was surprised by such an action was the blond half-French that sat beside Kyouya who expressed his surprised by a simple lift of his eyebrows. It didn't surprise Kyouya anymore that Tamaki was able to read him. The black-haired boy could even, with much reluctance and annoyance, call the blond idiot his best friend, if such a thing existed for Kyouya. (AN: Oh, Kyouya, don't be so cold-hearted! You know he's your best friend!)

Just as he pulled the door open, the unmistakable form of his elusive quarry came stumbling right into him. The sharp black eyes behind the transparent spectacles widened for a moment, denoting Kyouya's surprise, before his usual neutral mask came back down. He watched with an impassive expression as the boy apologized profusely, although the string of apologies abruptly stopped when Aoi noticed who he had walked into. Instead, a small, sheepish-looking smile came over the face of the object of his curiosity, which if Kyouya wasn't… well, Kyouya, he might have been fooled. But he was not. He could feel the tension that trapped the muscles of the boy's arm as he guided him into the classroom and knew that the shy, bumbling boy was a mask.

A mask that, sooner or later, he would rip right off.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Finally," Aoi couldn't help sighing, stretching his arms above his head in his seat, after classes had ended for that day. It wasn't as if Aoi disliked his classes. But missing more than a few years of his Muggle studies (AN: Obviously not the subject offered in Hogwarts.) when he was in Hogwarts as Harry Potter was definitely not helping any. Aoi was lucky, though, that he had a quick mind that allowed him to, at the very least, capture the essentials of his classes, which would ensure that he would pass this semester. Once he got used to the push and strain of following Maths, Science and the like again, Aoi was fairly confident that he could rise in the class ranks.

He smiled at his own thoughts. Guess Hermione had more of an influence on him than he had previously thought.

Aoi chanced a glance at his watch. It was getting quite late. Aoi just hoped he hadn't made Haruhi-chan and his other siblings wait too long. Of course, he had called them a while ago, as his teacher had wanted to stay after class to make sure he was able to keep up with the other students, seeing as he had enrolled in Ouran Academy as a second year. To be truthful, he was more worried about Haruhi-chan than his other siblings. He knew that his brothers and sisters were in good hands, as was the benefit of attending the elementary section, as it was school protocol in Ouran Academy that forbade any of the elementary school teachers from leaving for home if any of their students still remained, while Haruhi was all by herself in a strange new school, in surroundings that would definitely be odd to her.

He was just about to call Haruhi to ask her where she was, when his cell rang. He checked the caller ID: 'Haruhi-chan'. Aoi pressed the green connect button and placed the phone to his ear as he continued to pack his things away to prepare for going home.

"Haruhi-chan?"

"Aoi-niisan? Are you still in school?"

"Yes, where are you now? I'll head over there right now."

"That's okay, niisan. Something came up, so I'll have to stay a while, but don't worry, I've got a ride arranged. I'll call you later, okay? I'm kind of busy now." And the connection abruptly cut off.

"Wait-" Aoi muttered, but his words were no longer heard. He wanted nothing more than to go fetch his honorary sister, but the problem was he didn't even know where she was. Sighing, Aoi resigned himself to worrying about Haruhi, which would undoubtedly keep him awake tonight until he received the 'later' call Haruhi promised, and proceeded to get his other siblings for their return home.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Next day… (AN: I'm skipping ahead to after classes)

In spite of the persistent perusal that he had faced from one Ootori Kyouya, Aoi couldn't help but smile as he recalled the phone conversation he had with Haruhi the previous night.

~flashback~

"Niisan?" Haruhi's voice filtered through the phone connection, and Aoi couldn't help smile in relief. He had been more than a little worried about Haruhi, especially when they couldn't go home together that day.

"Haruhi, finally! I was thinking you'd never call!"

"Gomen. I was a little caught up at school. I joined a school club."

"Well, that's a good idea. You should definitely participate in more extra-curricular activities. You know, to broaden your horizons and enhance your school experience. You study too much," Aoi lightly commented. He was actually relieved that Haruhi wasn't ostracized in the 'rich brat school' as some of his siblings had cheerfully named it. By joining a school club, Aoi was sure that Haruhi would soon be accepted among her peers, in spite of her completely different background. (AN: Oh, if Aoi really knew…)

"Well, about that…"

"Yes?"

But before Haruhi could reply, both of them could hear a commotion originating from the dining room. They didn't know what was happening, but in that household, it was doubtful that it was something good. "Niisan, I'll just talk to you tomorrow, okay? It sounds like you're kind of busy," Haruhi said through the phone connection.

"Well, okay. Look for me after class tomorrow, okay? I'll be waiting," Aoi said. After getting her assurance that she would indeed go looking for him after tomorrow's class, they ended the conversation simultaneously, and Aoi rolled up his sleeves, before making his way towards the source of all the mayhem, to sort out yet _another_ _situation_.

~flashback ends~

Recalling the abrupt manner in which their phone conversation had ended, Aoi couldn't help but frown. It must have come from being responsible for a whole troop of underage children but his protective instincts automatically came into play nowadays, especially when it concerned people whom he considered as family. Haruhi and her father were just two of them. As he pulled out his phone to call Haruhi to see if she was on her way, his attention was unavoidably drawn towards the conversation that was occurring between two of his less familiar male classmates.

"… that guy is so sad."

"Yeah, I mean, being made into a dog of the Host Club after breaking a priceless vase. If he was any one of us, he could have paid it off easily, but damn his luck for being a scholarship student."

Hearing those words left no doubt in Aoi as to who the 'dog' of this Host Club was, as in the history of Ouran Academy, there had only been one scholarship student, who was currently a freshman in the institution this very semester. He walked over to the conversing boys, and smiled beguilingly, despite the internal rage that he was just itching to vent.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear. I was just wondering where this Host Club is. You see, I have a friend who is in the club. I'm not sure which class he is in, but I thought I might be able to catch him at his club activity," Aoi said cajolingly, trying and succeeding in coercing the location of this Host Club out of the conversing boys. Without even a goodbye, picking up his schoolbag or thanking said boys, he stalked towards the Third Music Room.

As he proceeded towards his destination, the scowl on Aoi's usually angelic face, obviously concealed by those ridiculous glasses, grew progressively darker. Those who had met Natsui Aoi and who would have sworn that he was the most mild-mannered and shy boy they knew would have been terrified by the murderous expression that was currently in place on said boy's face.

Look out, Host Club. Natsui Aoi, Hadrian Jamison Potter-Black, Lord-of-Too-Many-Titles, all-round powerful and _angry_ wizard, was on the warpath.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Kyouya and Tamaki were just discussing about their cosplay for that day's club activity, when the double doors that led to the Music Room opened, and Natsui Aoi stepped in, looking nervous and shy at the same time, eyes cast down and pulling nervously at the sleeve of his jacket. Unbeknownst to them, Aoi was consciously tamping down his magic to not blast the entire room into a million pieces. "I'm sorry, but I was wondering who was in charge of this club."

"Ah, that would be-" Tamaki began, gesturing to himself in a flamboyant manner, but soon was cut off by the Hitachiin twins who chose to speak up at that moment.

"Kyouya-sempai."

Everything happened in a flash, and the shy and demure boy was suddenly replaced by an angry young man who was practically breathing fire, repeatedly poking Kyouya in the chest, and shouting at him. Kyouya sensed rather than saw Tamaki's jaw drop along with the jaws of the other hosts. He was shocked himself, as well, but had learned to school his emotions so well that he betrayed none of it on his face.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Aoi shouted. "What the FUCK gave you the FUCKING right to make a student into your dog?! HUH?! Haruhi-chan just broke a GODDAMN vase and that gives you the right to enslavement, IS THAT IT?!" Although Aoi could restrain his magic from striking at his classmate, he couldn't and didn't want to restrain his rage. (AN: I know that Aoi is usually a sexually innocent, since he couldn't even say 'sex', but hey, he's furious!)

He pulled away and calmed himself. "How much was the vase? I'll pay for it," Aoi said, having gotten his anger out of the way, and calmly whipped out a checkbook. Just as Kyouya opened his mouth to tell the irate boy that he couldn't pay for Fujioka Haruhi's debt, since Aoi technically had no familial responsibility towards the girl, the voice of the very object of their conflict interrupted.

"No, niisan!" the voice of one Fujioka Haruhi cut in, as the double doors swung open for the second time that day.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A while earlier….

Haruhi sighed to herself as she considered how she could tell her niisan and possibly destroy all his illusions about her 'after-school activity' on the way to his classroom. She knocked a staccato series of knocks on the door that led to his classroom, before letting herself in. Haruhi decided that she didn't want to bother her niisan with her own problems and would not exactly tell him the truth, but gloss over it a bit, so he wouldn't be suspicious. To her surprise, as she scanned the classroom, her niisan was nowhere in sight. Just as she was about to leave, she accidentally overheard the conversation of two second-years who were apparently making their way back to the classroom.

"…it's kind of odd, isn't it?"

"I know, if Natsui-kun's friend was in the Host Club, he should have asked yesterday, shouldn't he? I mean, the Host Club is practically famous, with all the girls going on and on about it. I wonder why he asked today rather than yesterday?"

Haruhi didn't wait to hear anymore. Fearing the worst she pelted towards the Third Music Room. Oh, she knew the persona that her niisan was trying to uphold but her _real_ niisan would skin the Host Club alive.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"No, niisan!" she shouted, just as she heard him offering to pay off her debt.

Aoi turned around at her voice. He gave a weak smile before resuming the seriousness of his earlier expression. "Don't worry, Haruhi-chan. It won't hurt my finances too much, no matter how much the vase is," Kyouya's eyebrows rose imperceptible at this complete certainty, "I just want to free you from this."

"NO! I broke the vase and this is MY responsibility! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Haruhi shouted, her words masked by fury when, in truth, Haruhi just didn't want to be a burden, especially a financial burden, no matter how rich her niisan actually was. As soon as the words left her mouth, Haruhi regretted them.

Tamaki and the rest of the hosts couldn't be more shocked. After all, they had just witnessed two rages from two of the least likely people in the whole campus to even get angry. (AN: Remember, in the anime, Haruhi was a scruffy little thing when they first met.) The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the silence was broken as Aoi closed his checkbook with a snap, and slipped it back into his pocket.

"I see." The words were emotionless and completely without inflection, just an even droning tone. As Aoi turned to exit the room, his face or what could be seen of his face was blank and expressionless. He passed right by Haruhi who was still frozen at the rashness of her words, and reached for the door handle. He pulled it open and just before stepping out, he intoned with the same emotionless tone, "Please pardon my intrusion."

The door closed with a resounding snap right behind him. No slam, no nothing. Just a small sound that sounded so…_ final_. The hosts wisely did not bring up the incident for the whole day, while Haruhi worked like a drone, her mind far away with a certain green-eyed niisan.

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AN: Uh-oh. This just goes to show that the best siblings often fight the worst. What's going to happen??? Well, you'll just have to wait until next chapter to know!!

R & R, please! Remember, more reviews equals faster chapter!

Oh, and today's bio…

Bio of Natsui Shijou (Previously known as Bill Weasley)

Current Age: 11 years old

Likes: History, hunting for treasure, his siblings, especially Aoi-niisama

Dislikes: Desecrators of history, bullies, especially when bullied are his siblings, and stupid treasure-hunters who just want to be in a get-rich-quick-scheme

Details:

Like his Dragon-fanatic brother, Shijou is not amongst the talkers in their little family. His best idea to spend the day would be to look for hidden treasures and relics yet to be discovered and usually spend time with his odd family. Shijou may be bordering fanaticism on the topic of History, but he is in no way the kind of boy who spends his time buried in History books. His approach to history is to go out and get it. After all, according to Shijou, what better way to discover history than to see it by himself?

Again, R & R!!! XD


	7. Chapter 7 Make up, Dress up & Mess up

AN:

Okay, thank you all, as usual, but remember to keep reviewing in the near future. Your reviews, suggestions and criticisms are what keeps this story alive. And the rule of equal exchange (from FMA) applies here: more reviews = faster update.

Disclaimer: Like I've said SOOO many times since Chapter 1, I don't have any ownership over any of the characters in this fiction, except my own Ocs. Oh, and the plot, of course.

Now, I present to you… the much-awaited Chapter 7!!

Warning: VERY VERY LONG CHAPTER

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Chapter 7: Make-up, Dress-up and Mess-up

In the Natsui Manor…

"Niisama, I brought you dinner," Akka said, her voice filtering through the intercom of the elevator that, by command of Master of the Manor, would lead to the Master's suite. Unfortunately, Aoi wasn't feeling up to the idea of company that day, nor did he feel much of an appetite, especially when he remembered, and regretted, the complete cold shoulder treatment he had given Haruhi-chan just that afternoon, so expectedly,his response came right through the intercom, the tone dull:

"That's okay, Akka-chan. I'm not hungry."

Akka would like nothing more than to pound on the still-closed elevator door or throw the dinner tray in her hands right into it, but she knew that nothing she could do would coerce her niisama to open the elevator doors, and allow her entry. She sighed, her expression weary and unbefitting of an eleven-year-old. It wasn't for the first time since all thirteen of them began living together that she had wondered if they had put too much of a strain on her poor, fragile eldest brother. Oh, she was more than aware that he loved all of them unconditionally, despite them being not really his brothers or sisters, but Akka wouldn't have found it in her heart to blame her dearest niisama if he just gave up one day, especially with the trouble that they always seem to find themselves in. She didn't fool herself into thinking that her niisama was ready for the responsibility of taking care of a whole brood of unruly children. After all, he was just only sixteen himself. But she knew her niisama would never give up, even if it became too much. The problem was that he kept trying too hard and pushing himself far beyond his own limits.

And although it was never mentioned, she knew her morose thoughts were echoed by all her other siblings, who, at one time or another, had wondered the same thing. Hence they had all come to an unspoken resolve to help make their niisama's life easier, in any way they could. Well, aside from avoiding trouble. After all, it was as easy as breathing to all of them to get into trouble, and likewise they couldn't stop breathing any more than they could stop getting into trouble.

With her resolve strengthened, she headed back downstairs towards the main living room, dinner tray untouched. It was time for a family conference.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Aoi was currently lying face down on his king-size four poster. He knew Akka-chan, along with all his other siblings, were worried about him, especially because he had skipped dinner. This was a rare happening for Aoi, as he had always stressed the importance of family and bonding time to his siblings. However, try as he might, he couldn't find it in him to actually get up and go downstairs to join them for dinner. How could he, when he had made such a big mistake in the treatment of his other sister who lived under another roof?

Aoi sighed, not for the first time that evening, and definitely not for the last. His sighs muffled by the pillow he had buried his face in, and his posture was relaxed but his mind was working overtime. He mentally ran over the whole day in his mind, and wondered what it was that he did was so wrong. He just wanted to protect his sister. It would be so easy to blame their falling-out on the Host Club-cough-Kyouya-cough-but Aoi couldn't, with good conscience. True, they may have deserved some part of the blame for roping Haruhi-chan into such an idiotic deal in the first place, but what had happened after was his fault and his fault only.

It wasn't like he didn't understand wanting to be responsible for one's own faults and mistakes. Aoi knew perfectly well how he felt like wanting to be independent and striving to grow up and be 'adult' when he was Harry Potter and the Wizarding War was still going on. He remembered resenting everything and everyone when he was excluded from everything in the Order. He chuckled grimly, instead of being 'adult', he had only convinced the others even more that he was still a child, especially by acting in such a petulant manner. Perhaps that was what Haruhi-chan felt. She didn't want to be mollycoddled and forced to simply hide behind her niisan, who was desperate to protect her as long as possible from the big, bad world.

Aoi finally decided that he would take a shower to refresh himself and call his other sister later, if not to apologize, especially since he still felt he wasn't wrong in trying to protect his sibling, then, at the very least, to explain to her his opinion and point of view. At worst, even if they still disagreed with each other, they could at least understand the reasoning behind the other's actions.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

All of the Natsui siblings had gathered to convene in the main living room, sitting in various positions. They were going to have their very first serious family meeting and it was odd that the head of the family was absent. All of them were only just waiting for the appearance of Akka-chan who had been tasked with delivering a belated dinner to their eldest brother, who had hidden himself away in his rooms. As Akka-chan entered, they all looked up. Judging by the depressed look on her face, her task had failed. Aoi-niisama had refused dinner. Akka-chan wordlessly shifted over to sit in between Yuujin and Kenshiki, who for once, were not arguing despite their close proximity with each other. Neither was Nao and Warai cracking their usual jokes and banter, or any of the usual activity that occurred when they were all convened together. The atmosphere was solemn and the air was tense.

"We have to do something!" Chishiki exclaimed, jumping up from her window-seat and pacing the room in a panicked manner, running a hand through her frizzy brown hair. "There's something wrong with Aoi-niisan, and we're not doing anything!"

"Don't you think we know that?" Kenshiki said condescendingly, although there was an undertone of sadness lacing his voice. "The problem is we don't even _know_ what's wrong with him! So how can we fix a problem when we don't know what it is?!"

"This isn't the time to argue! Fighting is doing no good at all!" Kenjou spoke up, Fuushigi clinging to him, her normally dreamy blue eyes dulled and sad, mirrored by the shadowed eyes of all the others in the living room. Even Nao and Warai's light blue eyes had lost their usual mischievous spark, and for the first time ever, no smirk or smile curved their lips.

"Much as I hate to agree with Ken-chan, this really is no time for petty arguments. So if any of you are planning to turn this into a bitch-fest, you might as well just go out and wait until the rest of us reasonable and sensible beings are finished," Saiki said. Expectedly, none of them made a move to stand up and Saiki continued. "Like Kenshiki said, we have no idea what the problem is with Aoi-niisama, and the only way to find out would be to ask the only other person in the high school section that we know." Thus saying, Saiki took out his hand phone and dialled the number for Haruhi-neechan.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

In the Fujioka house…

Haruhi hadn't stopped berating herself since the confrontation between her and her niisan. She shouldn't have shouted nor should she have used such harsh words and tones. During her 'club activity', although she had continued working diligently as duty calls, her mind was constantly on what had occurred in that very room previously. She had looked upon the spot where Aoi-niisan had been standing, in a deadlock with Kyouya-sempai and had remembered the stillness that had straightened his shoulders and his spine as her words reached his ears. Aoi-niisan had left without acknowledging her, and Haruhi could admit to herself that she was more than a little worried that her niisan would be horribly angry at her. Oh, she hadn't actually seen her niisan's temper (AN: She wasn't there when Aoi blew up at Kyouya. She came later.), but her father had always said that 'still waters run deep', and with how good-tempered Aoi-niisan was usually, she could imagine his temper, once let loose, would be like a raging inferno.

The sharp ringtone of her cell phone distracted her from her worries of her niisan's temper. Haruhi sighed before reaching for the portable electronic. She just hoped that a good night's sleep would calm him down enough so he would listen to her explanation and apology at school tomorrow. She checked the caller ID: 'Saiki-kun'. Haruhi was wondering what had prompted the eleven-year-old boy to call her. After all, although she had given her number to all of the Natsui brood, she wasn't as much closer to the boys, since she had more of a common point with the few girls. Nevertheless, she pressed the connect button.

"Saiki-kun?"

"Haruhi-neechan?"

"Yes, it's me. Did you want something?"

"Not really. It's just that Aoi-niisama's been acting kind of odd since coming back from school today. We were just wondering if you knew anything about what happened at school today?"

Haruhi had a little trouble swallowing her guilt which was growing heavier with every word. "…Yes, Aoi-niisan and I had a little argument this afternoon. Don't you worry, I'll talk to him. Everything's going to be fine," she assured the eleven-year-old at the other end of the connection.

"Well…okay then. Oyasumi, Haruhi-neechan."

"Oyasumi, Saiki-kun." Haruhi ended the phone conversation only to dial the familiar number of her niisan's hand phone. Knowing how dire the situation was at Aoi-niisan's end, Haruhi couldn't in good conscience ignore it until tomorrow at school. She needed to make amends ASAP. She listened to the dial tone and heard a definite click. Haruhi opened her mouth only to be interrupted by the voice recording of her niisan.

"Hi. This is Natsui Aoi. Unfortunately, I am not available to answer at the moment, but if you leave a message after the beep, I'll be sure to listen and will definitely get back to you at the earliest I can." Even though it was a recording of Aoi-niisan's voice, Haruhi could feel the warmth, kindness and consideration conveyed through the simple voice message, warming her heart. Her guilt increased as she remembered how she had treated such a kind person like her niisan with such callousness and how _…blank_ he had looked afterwards. Haruhi suppressed a wince at the memory and concentrated on thinking about what to say.

"Um… niisan… this is Haruhi-chan. I- well, I…*sighs* gomen. I didn't mean to be so harsh today, and I shouldn't have shouted. But I was just so upset and worried about the fact that I was going to become a burden to you. Gomen, I didn't mean to take it out on you. See you at school." With those parting words, Haruhi was just about to cut off the connection when suddenly the line connected and a voice that she had heard in the voice message spoke.

"Haruhi-chan?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Aoi had just finished his shower, feeling refreshed and relaxed enough, any remaining negative emotions had just washed away with the shower water down the drain. Wearing a pair of dark red silk pajama pants, and topless, a small towel hanging around his lithe neck,(AN: drools) he was curious when he heard a familiar voice coming from outside the bathroom. He walked out and managed to catch the last few words of what would have been a message left on his private phone, had he not reached out with Quidditch-honed reflexes and answered the phone, his disbelief clear in his voice: "Haruhi-chan?"

"Niisan." The hesitance was clear in her voice.

For a moment, neither knew what to say. Aoi had never expected Haruhi-chan to call him, especially when they had erupted so spectacularly that afternoon. Haruhi had just been concentrating on her phone message and had not expected Aoi-niisan to so suddenly pick up the other end of the line. As Aoi opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, he was interrupted by a sudden exclamation from the other end of the line.

"Gomennasai!"

Aoi was struck dumbfounded before a second, before he raised his hand in what was starting to be a very familiar action to pinch the bridge if his nose, and sighed audibly. "Why are you apologizing, Haruhi-chan? It was more my fault than yours."

"No-"

"Wait, don't interrupt me and let me finish talking. I thought a lot about what happened this afternoon and realized that you, having grown up with only a single father, must have learned to become independent. It was a necessity. It was my fault for not being more understanding. I should have understood that what I did was practically proclaiming my lack of faith in your ability to take care of yourself, and not having faith in a younger sibling is, to me, one of the biggest failings of being an older brother. And I'm very sorry. Gomennasai."

There was a short silence, Aoi leaving Haruhi-chan alone to contemplate his words. "How do you understand me so well?" Haruhi-chan breathed, awe tinting her voice and making her words a whisper.

Aoi laughed. "Because, believe it or not, I was just like you not very long ago. I wanted to be seen as an adult. I didn't want to be the little kid that everyone had to look out for and take care of. I wanted to grow up so fast that I forgot to be a child." His voice became serious, losing all joking humor. "Haruhi-chan, I want you to remember. You're only fifteen, barely a child and yet not quite an adult. Take the time to enjoy as much of your youth as you can. You don't have to grow up too quick, and sometimes it's okay to have someone take care of you."

Haruhi couldn't help but laugh at the 'words of wisdom'. "You talk like an old geezer! You should take your own advice, you know. You're trying to grow up too fast, too."

Aoi was taken aback but he carefully considered the similar 'words of wisdom' from his honorary sister and he realized that she was right. He had never taken the time to truly be a child. Forced to grow up and fight in a war, with the hopes of many resting on his frail shoulders, he had left behind any childish dreams and hopes that would interfere with what he saw as his duty and responsibility – to end a war that should never have begun in the first place. Even after the war was won and the Voldie had been obliterated, Aoi discovered that he had found himself with a batch of eleven-year-olds who became his new purpose. All his life, there was always a purpose, a drive to do something. Aoi had never allowed himself to just sit back and play or just simply relax. It was like he wasn't even aware himself that he was only sixteen.

"I suppose…" Aoi murmured hesitantly. "I guess you're right," he finally admitted. "Now, what exactly happened yesterday?" he asked, turning the conversation back to Haruhi-chan's predicament in the Host Club.

The two had talked for a long while, with Haruhi telling Aoi about how she was mistaken to be a boy and then gay, when she had mistakenly entered the Third Music Room, thinking that it would be a good place to study. Aoi had listened with complete disbelief in the tale, wondering what the hell had made the Host Club think that Haruhi was male. The conversation continued late into the night, with Aoi only pausing long enough to have a maid deliver supper to the Master's suite, oblivious to the silent cheers from the under-eighteens in the Manor house that had heard his request. And who would soon later join him in a midnight snack fest right in the Master's suite, before they were all shooed back to their own beds.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, in the Ootori household… specifically in the current bedroom of Ootori Kyouya…

The tall raven that had just a few hours ago caused one of the most remarkable blow-ups that had been seen in Ouran Academy was currently comfortably lying on the small sofa, his long legs stretching past the physical size of said sofa, with both hands locked behind his head as Kyouya contemplated the day's happenings. He had known that his new classmate, the new presence in his life, was hiding more secrets and deceptions than even he knew what to do with. The idea of such an enigma, such a captivating puzzle, that was just waiting for his skilled, long-fingered hands to piece together was quite thrilling.

He recalled clearly the raging fury of Natsui Aoi when he had been standing face-to-face with the tiny boy. The boy had a diminutive frame and the top of his head just barely reached Kyouya's chest, but Natsui Aoi, even severely handicapped by his minuscule size as compared to Kyouya's own strapping height, had exuded such _power_ and had proceeded to give Kyouya such an impressive dressing –down that he had previously assumed only his father to be capable of.

Kyouya smirked, as he realized, even though it was short, he had managed to catch a glimpse into the boy behind the puzzle of Natsui Aoi. He closed his eyes, but even behind his eyelids, he could see the little spitfire still shouting at him, poking him. One of Kyouya's own hands rubbed subconsciously at the spot where Aoi had poked him. Even though Kyouya hadn't seen much of the boy's face, hidden behind such hideousness that was his glasses, what he _had_ seen had taken his breath away. Underneath the ridiculously old-fashioned golfer's cap, a few raven bangs had managed to escape the restraint and fell down to frame his face a bit. The glasses aside, Kyouya could see Aoi had an aristocratic nose and high cheekbones, with a complexion that, if Kyouya had been a romantic, he would have likened to snow, marred only by twin blotches of color that denoted his emotional turmoil. The harsh words that had escaped those cherry bud lips had completely escaped Kyouya as he had gazed upon what he had thought of as the star that made the Christmas tree a spectacular sight.

_Wait… why am I thinking about his lips? _Kyouya thought, frowning slightly. _I must be getting obsessed with my curiosity, especially since the subject is so… _interesting_. Hmmm… it looks like Natsui Aoi and Fujioka Haruhi have a close relationship, _he ignored the inconceivable twist to his insides, which he refused to analyze closely, _perhaps Haruhi has more worth than in simply doing mundane tasks for the Club. _(AN: Can you feel the self-denial?)

Thus Ootori Kyouya decided to use the innocent, naïve freshman scholarship student, as a means to lure the bigger catch, so to speak, into his trap. He never thought that all his planning and strategizing would be turned completely upside-down the next day.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Next day… Lunch hour…

It was time for lunch but, unlike the past two days, Aoi had no intention of going to lunch with his siblings. He had excused himself, saying that he had some work to discuss with his homeroom teacher during lunchtime, and had asked them to have lunch by themselves. The lie had left a bad taste in his mouth, but Aoi could not allow his siblings to know what he would be attempting to do. As the lunch bell rang, Aoi could feel the ever-pressing gaze boring into him from the front of the class. He wanted nothing more than to run in the opposite direction but Aoi tightened his resolve and kept repeating the mantra: 'This is for Haruhi-chan. Haruhi-chan. Remember Haruhi-chan.' He finally found his way to the forefront of the desk of one Ootori Kyouya, and defiantly refused to shift uncomfortably or flinch, even as the dark gaze was sharpened to the point of intensity similar to lasers and when Suou Tamaki leant so obviously backwards away from the potentially dangerous and deceptively mild-mannered new student.

"May I help you, Natsui-kun?" Kyouya asked, as if this was not the same person who had practically threatened to separate his head from his body and accused him of illegal enslavement just yesterday.

_Okay, you can do this, Aoi,_ he thought to himself. He forced a suitably chastised expression onto his face and practically had to force his muscles to relax, bowing deeply, if a little stiffly. _This is for Haruhi-chan._ He gritted his teeth but refused to give into his urge to simply smack the arrogant prick who was still looking at him with that impassive face, especially when Aoi knew that Kyouya just had to be smirking inside, glorying in the way in which Aoi had lowered himself to actually execute a bow towards him.

Aoi couldn't be more wrong. Kyouya was not smirking. He was frowning. Such a demeaning act was not befitting the little spitfire he had just barely glimpsed yesterday. He had only caught a short peek into Aoi's real personality when he had raged with temper fully unleashed, even if said temper was directed towards his person, and Kyouya inexplicably found himself actually _hungering_ for another look. He didn't want nor did he like this submissive little thing that was all-too-common. No, Kyouya desired to see again the tiger that he had seen yesterday, even if said tiger had wanted nothing more than to crunch Kyouya's bones between his teeth.

"I apologize for my outburst yesterday," Aoi said. "Haruhi-chan is a close friend of mine and I was upset when I heard about the 'dog 'of the Host Club," here Aoi smiled sheepishly, keeping his lips pressed together in a soft smile. If he had offered an open-mouthed smile, they would have noticed the tight manner in which the upper and lower sets of his teeth were grinding furiously against each other. "However, I would like to speak with you on a matter that concerns the Host Club and Haruhi-chan."

A simple raise of a black eyebrow was the reply to Aoi's request. Tamaki was in his seat, less reserved now that it seemed that Aoi didn't look like he was about to go off the handle again anytime soon. In fact, he was now listening with rapt attention, unable to stop himself from being curious about the conversation topic that Aoi had chosen to pursue. After all, he _was_ the 'king' of the Host Club, and naturally wanted to know what Aoi would want. After what happened yesterday, Tamaki would have expected Aoi to want nothing to do with the Host Club, anymore.

_Haruhi-chan. You want to help her, don't you? To take care of her and keep her safe, right? _The mantra kept going on and on in his head, as Aoi imperceptibly restrained his urge to snap at the arrogance in his classmate. Aoi didn't know what it was about Kyouya, but the arrogant prick just kept pushing all his buttons. Aoi hated everything about him – from his arrogant smirk to his irritating height to his piercing black eyes that looked like they were mentally stripping him, not that he would mind…

_HOLD UP! What the hell?! Where the hell did that come from?! I __**hate**__Ootori Kyouya! Of course, I'd mind if he was stripping me!_ The furious thoughts raced around inside his head, although his face just appeared blank. Aoi was firmly denying to himself any attraction or positive emotion he felt when faced with the Ootori, that he almost did not notice the definite clearing of Kyouya's throat.

"Yes, so what would you like to talk about concerning the Host Club and Fujioka-kun?" Kyouya pressed impatiently, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, waving his hand, gesturing Aoi to continue the conversation.

"Well, you see…"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

After class…

Haruhi tugged up the sleeve of her sweatshirt, checking her watch. (AN: I know she doesn't really wear one, but this is a fanfic, so deal with it, okay?) It was almost time for the Host Club to begin its club activities, and she was going to be late. She would be the first to admit that she couldn't see any logical sense or purpose behind the Host Club. In her viewpoint, it was a completely meaningless social gathering for those with too much idle time on their hands, spending their time talking about unimportant chit-chat and having tea and biscuits, while drooling over the Hosts. But Haruhi felt slightly better now that she had made up with her niisan. Their conversation the night before had really helped her to understand his reasoning and get him to understand her own. Thus even as she was running late and would probably be berated by Kyouya-sempai later, Haruhi couldn't help smiling, as she thought about how much closer she had grown to her niisan, even if it was through an ugly argument. Oh well, at least they reconciled.

Finally, Haruhi had reached the ornate double doors that led into the Third Music Room, the venue the Host Club had claimed for their activities, although she was slightly short of breath. She pushed open the doors, an apology for her tardiness at the tip of her tongue, when she was rendered speechless by the sight that met her eyes.

Natsui Aoi, her dear honorary niisan, was currently sitting on one of the settees, enjoying a cup of tea, with Haninozuka Mitsukuni, one of the Hosts, a third year who looked and acted like a blond cherub, whose head was resting on his lap, while Aoi's hand was softly running through the blond tresses of the senior's head. The slight purr that came from the small package that took the form of Hani-sempai, as usual clinging onto his little rabbit plushie, nicknamed Usa-chan, belied the fact that said senior was sleeping. Haruhi noticed absently, her mind still unable to process the idea that her niisan was here, that the rest of the Hosts were looking tense. Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, the only Hosts who were in her year, twins, were huddling behind another couch some distance away, their usual mischief gone and faces pale, right next to another blond she could identify as the Host Club president, Tamaki-sempai. Mori-sempai, a third year Host who customarily hung around Hani-sempai, had taken a standing position behind the couch where Aoi was sitting with the sleeping Hani-sempai, the only sign of emotion on his taciturn face a slight widening of his black eyes denoting his shock. Kyouya-sempai was the only one who seemed completely unperturbed, calmly sitting in a straight-back chair, flipping through the black file that never seemed to leave his hands. Haruhi noticed, though, that the 'Shadow King' was repeatedly looking at Aoi secretly, although his nimble fingers did not stop flipping the pages of the file nor stop writing whatever he usually writes in it.

As soon as Aoi noticed the new arrival, he smiled, and waved at Haruhi. Pressing a finger to his pursed lips in a shushing gesture, he lightly wove his fingers through the senior's head, bent down and whispered softly in Hani-sempai's ear. Aoi didn't notice the way that the breaths of several of the Hosts hitch as they watched Hani wiggle slightly in his comfortable position, and waited for the shit to hit the fan, quite literally. However, Hani-sempai only straightened up and yawned, stretched, before he slowly focused into awareness. Which he did and promptly latched onto Aoi, his shorter arms circling Aoi's neck.

"Ao-chan!" the senior called out cutely, nuzzling into Aoi's neck; Aoi only chuckle at the antics.

Aoi didn't notice either the gradually darkening expression that was on the Shadow King's face, as Kyouya watched the tender ministrations with which Aoi woke Hani up, nor the slight tightening of Kyouya's grip on the file, or the narrowed eyes behind those spectacles.

"You know Hani-sempai, niisan?" Haruhi questioned, finally regaining her senses.

Aoi chuckled at the open bemusement in her tone, and the other Hosts were not doing any better, their curiosity and awe plain on their faces. After all, Hani-sempai was not the easiest person to wake up. (AN: …big understatement…) "Yeah, I didn't see him here yesterday," Aoi explained, "we met some time ago…"

~flashback~

Aoi had been enjoying a wasabi-flavoured ice-cream, seated leisurely on a park bench while waiting for the rest of his siblings to have their new uniforms to be properly amended and re-fitted to their respective sizes in the luxury tailoring store across the street, when he noticed someone staring at him. He turned his head to the side and saw a cute little boy that looked like he was still in elementary, just a few inches taller than Aoi's knee-level. The blond cherub was watching him attentively and completely unabashed, his eyes shining with innocence. Well, it would actually be more accurate to say that the little cherub was looking at his ice-cream.

Aoi smiled and offered the little boy the cold decadence. "Do you want some?"

He watched amusedly as the boy tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes expressing his hesitation. "Can I really? I've never tasted it before…" the boy murmured, his little hands reaching out to grasp the cone. (AN: Hani's family is still very rich, and it's very unlikely that he has eaten something that can only be bought at small street side corners, in case you're confused.) At the small nod from Aoi, the boy squealed enthusiastically and devoured the whole thing, while Aoi watched with a little ruefulness. He hadn't expected the cherub to eat the whole thing, but Aoi couldn't find it in himself to berate him.

After the cherub licked the residual ice-cream from his fingertips, he smiled blindingly at Aoi. "My name is Hani. I like you; what's your name?"

"Aoi."

"Ao-chan!" the cherub squealed, jumping on Aoi, his little arms looping around Aoi's shoulders, and nuzzled into his cheek into Aoi's neck, before purring a little. Aoi couldn't stop himself from returning the hug and patted the blond head lightly, despite his dislike of the childish nickname, and bewilderment at the sudden hug.

~flashback ends~

It was silence for a moment as the rest of the Host Club members contemplated and thought about this rather surprising development. Haruhi just shook her head in a dismissive gesture; she knew her niisan could charm the birds right off a tree if he wanted to. Moreover, Hani-sempai was the most affectionate person she knew, despite only knowing him for barely a few days and thus was most likely to get along with her niisan. Kaoru and Hikaru were both wondering about how they should act whilst being in the presence of the weird boy. Yesterday, he had resembled Hani-sempai after being unceremoniously woken up or rather Kyouya-sempai on a daily basis, and now, Aoi was like how Hani-sempai usually behaved, when he was not sleep-deprived. Whereas Tamaki was thinking back to the surprising deal that Aoi had proposed and Kyouya accepted just during lunch that day, wondering about how this new presence could affect the Host Club and more importantly, Kyouya's motivations in accepting the deal. He chanced a look at his vice-president, who, for the most part, did not look affected at all, but Tamaki could spot the usual blank mask that Kyouya always wore when he was agitated, and the slightly whitened knuckles of his hands, as they gripped the little file in their grasp a little tighter than was normal. The silence was broken when the other third-year club member, besides Hani-sempai, spoke.

"When was this, Mitsukuni?" Morinozuka Takashi asked, wondering when such an event had happened and why he wasn't aware of it, especially given the amount of time he spent around the little cherub.

Raising his blond head from the very comfortable spot it had been in, nuzzling at the junction between Aoi's neck and shoulder, Hani-sempai frowned cutely, as he answered.

"Don't you remember, Takashi? That day when you went to pick up that book at the bookstore, and I told you I was bored so I was going to go outside and wait, and then I met Ao-chan. He even gave me ice-cream! And then when you came outside to pick me up, he'd already left and I didn't know his number or address…" the chibi senior rambled on. Takashi finally remembered. He hadn't been able to hold Mitsukuni back from exiting the store, nor been able to follow him as he had a very persistent sales staff who was shoving various books into his face to interest him. Takashi, out of exasperation, had bought out the whole store, leaving a mind-boggled teenaged staff who was just a few steps short of prostrating at his feet, before rushing out to find MItsukuni, who was calmly sitting on a park bench just outside, while nursing a triple-chocolate banana crepe, (which Aoi had bought him, before going back to meet with his siblings) although there wasn't anyone near him at the time.

"Okay…but what are you doing here, niisan?" Haruhi asked, turning her attention back to a decidedly shifty-looking Aoi.

Aoi opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Kyouya, who had closed his file with a snap and was now surveying the scene in front of him through his spectacles. He smiled beautifully, in other words, totally _fake_ and answered, on Aoi's behalf. "You have a very good niisan, Haruhi. He was so worried about you that he practically _begged_ Tamaki and myself to allow him to work alongside you. For obvious reasons, he couldn't possibly be a Host, but he'll help with the more physical aspects of your duties, I suppose." In a few words, Kyouya had summarily patronized, debased and insulted Aoi.

Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki were both looking at Aoi, watching with bated breath for the inevitable explosion. To their utmost surprise, Aoi smiled serenely at Kyouya, and replied, "Right you are, _Kyouya-kun_. I can't help worrying about Haruhi-chan, although I don't doubt your ability to look after things. Not a single doubt." The two ravens continued to smile at each other, but the tension was thick and dangerous, before Aoi broke his eye-contact duel with his opponent and turned towards Haruhi. "And before you say it, Haruhi-chan, I am not taking over your debt. Just looking after you, so you'll still be responsible for your debt."

Haruhi frowned, before her facial expression relaxed and she sighed. "All right, niisan. I can see I can't stop you, so I won't even try." Aoi grinned.

"Much as I hate to interrupt this sibling heart-to-heart," Kyouya drawled, pushing his glasses further up into a more secure position, "I would like to assign a few tasks to Natsui-kun and Haruhi so that we may begin our activities for today."

"Of course, _Kyouya-kun_, just say the word," Aoi drawled in a similar manner, surprising yet again the Hosts, who were becoming more and more convinced that Natsui Aoi, demure and shy that he looks, was underneath more layers and masks than there were in a Mardi Gras festival.

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"Stupid arse," were the commending words out of Aoi's mouth as he queued, a while later, at the patisserie's, thinking back to the arrogant prick that had made himself known as Ootori Kyouya. He just had to give him the task of picking up cakes and pastries from a variety of different shops all across town, didn't he? No, Kyouya couldn't even _pretend_ that he was compassionate and had Aoi and Haruhi go together to refill the club's coffee supplies, oh no… he just _had _to send Aoi to the other side of town, didn't he?

As he paid for the mountain of pastries he had piled up at the counter with the club funds that Kyouya had accorded him just before he left on his ridiculous shopping task, Aoi calmed himself with his Occlumency barriers and erased the rather pissed-off expression on his face, replacing it with one of complete charm and politeness. After all, just because he was pissed off at Ootori-bloody-Kyouya, aptly nicknamed (by Aoi) the arrogant prick, was no reason to attempt to scare off the rest of the world. He determinedly pretended not to notice the very prominent blush on the cashier's face as she rang up his purchases.

Aoi sighed as he walked through the empty hallways back to the Third Music Room. All the students had either gone home, or else headed off to their own club activities, so there was relative silence, which allowed Aoi's mind to wander. He thought about the way in which he acted and tried to be a good enough brother to his siblings, to take care of them. It seemed like all his life, he was destined to take care of someone, not that he disliked taking care of his siblings. Before Hogwarts, he had to take care of the Dursleys, not that he was given any choice. When he went to Hogwarts, he had expected to finally have people – friends or teachers, to take care of him, but he had soon found that the whole Wizarding World expected him to carry their burdens. Before the War ended, Aoi had thought about what he wanted to do post-war. He had wanted to maybe travel a little and find somewhere he could be normal. But it was not to be, as he now had his siblings to think of. Aoi never thought that being a big brother was a burden, but there was no avoiding the fact that it could get tedious sometimes.

_I guess what I really want is to have someone take care of me for a change,_ he thought resignedly. As he stopped just in front of the double doors opening into the Host Club, Aoi paused for a moment to erase the morose ponderings from his mind and arranged his face into a smile. The last thing he wanted was to upset Haruhi. He pushed open the doors and entered…

…Into utter silence. _The club activities must be over,_ he guessed. Putting down the small pile of pastry boxes on a conveniently placed table, Aoi wondered just where the Hosts, and more importantly, Haruhi, had wandered off to. After all, the whole room was empty. Just as he was about to call his honorary sister, Aoi heard an unmistakable scuffle from the door that led to a side room, which the Hosts used as a changing room.

For the second time, Aoi opened the door, and there were all the Hosts, standing around. He was just about to ask what they were all doing, stuffed into the quite spacious changing room, looking utterly bored, when the curtain that acted as a partition separating the changing area from the waiting area slid open. His jaw dropped and he gaped, as a decidedly _male_-looking Haruhi walked out, dressed in their male school uniform. As the rest of the Hosts fluttered about the girl, expounding about her cuteness or whatnot, Kyouya walked until he was standing right beside Aoi.

"Pretty, isn't she?"

Aoi's jaw snapped shut and the intelligent emerald eyes behind those hideous glasses narrowed. So Kyouya did know Haruhi was a girl. He once again tamed the biting remark that he wanted to make, and blanked out his expression. "So you know, huh?"

"Of course," Kyouya smiled, turning his head to talk face-to-face with Aoi. "Did you ever have any doubt?"

"No, can't say I do," Aoi smiled back, his expression stiff and completely fake. He watched as Tamaki declared substitute terms for Haruhi in that she would be free from her debt as long as she managed to have a hundred guests ask for her explicitly. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose to ward off the oncoming migraine. Well, at least, Haruhi would be exempt from doing mundane tasks that take her all over town. Of course, that meant _he_ was going to do them instead.

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Aoi sighed before he frowned. He had been sighing a lot lately. But the thing was, he couldn't help it. He worried about Haruhi constantly, but didn't dare make any other offers to pay off her debt in case of any new arguments. He was also agitated that the club activities might take away too much of his time that could be better spent with his siblings. True, they had each other and it was unlikely that any of them would ever be truly alone. Additionally, Haruhi had been acting oddly these past few weeks, but always evaded the questions or gave him a half-assed answer. He was worried that she was being bullied, especially when she was so different from her schoolmates. Even if he was somewhat a member of the Host Club now, _Kyouya_ a.k.a. bastard extraordinaire, had him running so many errands that would either take him all over campus or the other side of town, that he couldn't even spend much time with Haruhi. He was doubly worried, especially since Haruhi had been coerced into becoming a Host.

Aoi pushed open the double doors, both hands full with his purchases of stationery that Kyouya had insisted was required to settle the mountain of paperwork involved in managing the club. At first, he smiled, seeing as it was an ordinary day, or as ordinary as it could be, given the eccentricities of the Hosts. Tamaki and the rest of the Hosts were off catering to their requests, but his eyes immediately narrowed in on the one person in the club he was truly concerned about. He was about to breath a sigh of relief that all was normal, and Haruhi was entertaining a redhead, when he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He zeroed in on Haruhi's guest and as he'd expected she struck.

Using magic to speed himself up, Aoi was just in time to catch Haruhi and the perpetrator, who had kicked the table leg, upending the entire table and making that Haruhi was in a compromising position, looming over her. The tablecloth had slipped off the table and covered Aoi, with Haruhi and the girl, Ayanokoji something lying on his chest. The impact had caused Aoi to smack his head quite hard into the marble floor and he listened dazedly to the ensuing drama with the girl basically accusing Haruhi of attempting to molest her, resulting in a sharp talking-to from Tamaki, and Kyouya revealing evidence that the girl had been _bullying Haruhi_. He immediately snapped to attention at that.

Just as the girl was about to run off crying, she felt someone jerk her arm back, and turned back, looking into furious green eyes, that were glowing in a manner that very much unnerved her. Aoi was a bit shorter than the girl, but he tugged on her arm, causing her whole frame to drop, and whispered dangerously, into her ear, "If you weren't a girl, I'd have punched you. But if I ever hear about you bullying _anyone_ again, you'll regret it. I wonder how you live with yourself. How can you sleep at night?" He felt a violent shiver run through the girl before he released her, and she promptly ran off.

Aoi turned back to find the rest of the Host Club and their guests gaping at him, well, except for Haruhi , Hani-sempai and Mori-sempai, but then again, Mori-sempai never gapes at anything. He was tired from his never-ending errands, angry that he couldn't protect someone he'd sworn to protect and wet from the little stunt one of the twins had pulled earlier with a water jug. Tired, angry and wet was not a good combination for a temperamental wizard. Getting tired of all the staring, he finally snapped out, "What?"

Add confusion to his current state, as his terse demand finally snapped everyone out of their observant silence, the resulting onslaught of whispers was seriously making him confused. He was just about to demand them to stop whispering and, more importantly, stop staring, when he felt someone pull on the ends of his school coat. He looked down to see Hani-sempai who was holding…

Shit. Hani-sempai was holding his cap and glasses. They must have been knocked off in the impact.

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Over these few weeks, Kyouya had deliberately sent Aoi out on a lot of needless errands – little things that would take him away from Haruhi and the other hosts. He didn't know why but he'd always felt something churn his insides, as he watched the two _alleged_ siblings sit together, huddled protectively against each other and talking in low tones that no one outside could even decipher. Aoi would always sit with Hani-sempai too, talking to him about his favourite topic, sweets, with the ever-faithful Mori-sempai looking on serenely. Kyouya had watched as Aoi laughed at the twins' antics and he even sometimes got along with Tamaki, the innocent, yet affectionate idiot. But with Kyouya…

They had laughed and smiled together, of course, but there was always an edge to it, like Aoi was barely snarling at him, all of the temper hidden behind a well-mannered, polite mask. Kyouya had had the whole game plan well-organized inside his head and Natsui Aoi, the most slippery person he had ever encountered, just managed to evade and duck all the right markers. His first step was to get to know Aoi, to get close to him as a friend would and then when he was close enough, Aoi would reveal his secrets and the true persona that made Natsui Aoi tick. Kyouya had called himself impatient and he was getting more and more frustrated with the deceptions that hid Aoi, and with his own burgeoning obsession about the boy. He wanted to get over this stupid obsession and move on with his life onto bigger things, but he couldn't even get Aoi to partner him in a school project, let alone have a normal conversation with him.

Kyouya had fantasized continuously about the day that he could finally see who Natsui Aoi was, and he found himself, in spite of all his anticipation, blown away, yet he had just barely scratched the surface with just seeing how Aoi really looked like.

He had watched the ruckus that Haruhi had inadvertently caused, and how Aoi had rushed in to save her, managing to have the two entangled girls end up on top of his tablecloth-covered chest. Kyouya had just barely noticed the pair of ugly glasses that Aoi never seemed to part with and the dull grey golfer's cap lying on the marble floor, before the object of his curiosity stood up, the tablecloth slipped quickly from his body, and caught the fleeing girl by her arm, before proceeding to whisper what sounded like threats in her ear. He heard the gasps from the hosts and their guests, but Kyouya couldn't care less. He was too captivated by the sight of the riveting beauty in front of him.

Kyouya didn't know what he'd expected, but he hadn't expected this. Free of the restraining cap, Aoi's raven hair, tied in a high ponytail, fell freely to the middle of his back. He knew that if it was loose, the black silk would reach Aoi's waist. He had just barely glimpsed a little of Aoi's features when Aoi had exploded on him a few weeks back, and thought that he couldn't be more beautiful but he was wrong. Out of the most perfect face that Kyouya had ever seen, a pair of bewitching, intelligent green eyes stared back at him, glowing slightly expressing their owner's fury. He watched as Hani-sempai held out the pair of glasses and the golfer's cap to Aoi, and saw the annoyance slip away to be replaced by shock.

Aoi looked up and offered the only logical reply he could really give in that situation.

"Oops?"

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AN:

I haven't had that many reviews lately…. Are you guys starting to get tired of this story? Please don't!!! (sob)

Anyways, please R & R this time round.

Biography of Natsui Chishiki (previously Hermione Granger)

Name: Natsui Chishiki

Current Age: 11 years old

Likes: Books and knowledge, her brothers and sisters, especially Aoi-niisan

Dislikes: People who bully her brothers and sisters, and people who bully others full-stop. Oh, and people who don't follow rules.

Details:

Chishiki may sometimes come off as an overbearing, know-it-all, but it stems from a deeper desire to impress others and get them to like her. She is generally very protective over her siblings and despite her strong external demeanor, she is not impassive against name-calling and insults. Chishiki prides herself on being one of the more well-behaved of her siblings, but oftentimes her loyalty to her siblings prompts her to break the rules she usually is so determined to obey. All in all, quite likable and kind, underneath the know-it-all attitude.


	8. Chapter 8 Partycrashers

AN:

Okay… Thanks, guys. I didn't have many reviews for Chapter 6, so I was a little worried. I wasn't really sure that I was a good fanfiction writer, especially since this is my first.

But… good news! My reviews picked up for Chapter 7! Again, thanks very much. I really appreciate you all taking the time and effort to give me suggestions and ideas.

Speaking of ideas…

I forgot to thank Ladyroo88 for giving me the idea of having the kids patch up Haruhi and Aoi for last chapter, so THANX!!

And the answer to the question that I know you all must be wondering: 'Will Kyouya ever get together with Aoi?'

Well… the answer is – YES! But don't expect it for quite some time, since Aoi has a lot of responsibility and his siblings to consider, and Kyouya has yet to get his head out of his arse. But if it happens, which it will, be prepared for Kyouya's legendary persistence, that will definitely be required if he wants Aoi. Not to mention that he'd have to get the approval of the Natsui Twelve. Just expect a lot of groveling.

I wasn't going to put in anything about the remnants of Aoi's wizarding life, especially concerning his finances until much later, but due to one reviewer's demand, I will, although maybe a few chapters later! Look for it!

Thanks again for your reviews! Remember that your reviews are the life of this story!!

Oh, and NO, I do NOT own anything in this story, except the plot, the OCs, and what else… oh, and any possible crossovers in the future will also not belong to me.

Btw, don't push button! *push* BOOM, happy belated birthday, and thanks for your very inspiring and uplifting review! If you really like it, then I would be happy to present as your belated birthday present --- Chapter 8!!!

Warning: LONGEST chapter yet!!!

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Chapter 8: Party-Crashers

Aoi knew he should never have expected to keep his anonymity. It was just not meant to be. He knew he was not meant for a life of normality, where he, with his siblings would lounge around in a remote island in the middle of the Caribbean, with only regular visits from Haruhi and maybe Ranka, to interrupt their monotonous, yet wonderfully peaceful life. No, Fate hated him and wanted him to suffer.

Aoi had thought he would be prepared and should already be well-accustomed to the whispering, the blushing and blatant staring, but there was nothing holding him back from darting like a shot at the first sign of pandemonium into the side room. He snapped the door shut and locked it, sliding down to sit on the floor, now barely noticing that his uniform was still wet. He didn't know it, but he looked like a broken angel. His arms circling his legs, hugging them close to his chest, and his raven silk locks tumbling freely all around his shoulders. He made the perfect picture of despondence, and would have caused many a nosebleed if there had been anyone around him, especially since his hair was wet and dripping, the dampness of his uniform making it stick to his skin, and molding his body frame perfectly.

"AOI-SEMPAI!" one of the twins called, pounding on the door. "Can you come out now? Haruhi needs to change." Hurriedly, Aoi shifted to his feet, he cursed as he had forgotten that he was not the only one who was now wet. It may be just a futile hope, but Aoi hoped that his moment of weakness in taking over the changing room hadn't caused Haruhi to develop a cold, although the more rational part of his mind commented that a few minutes was hardly enough for Haruhi to develop an illness. The door opened with a click, and he poked his head out.

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The hosts had watched in fascination as the tablecloth had slipped away, painfully slow, finally revealing Aoi in all his real glory, minus his glasses and trademark golfer's cap, and although Aoi had been furious, he was undeniably and undoubtedly beautiful. They were gob smacked by how much different the removal of his glasses and cap changed Aoi's appearance. And just when they thought they couldn't be more surprised after Haruhi. Aoi had blanched for a moment, before he promptly sped at inhuman speed into the side changing room, and the door slammed shut with a bang before they heard the click of the lock. It managed to snap the guests and the hosts out of their dreamy haze, and caused… utter PANDEMONIUM.

Suddenly all the guests were firing questions, asking if Aoi was a new host, and was the thing that had happened with Ayanokoji some kind of elaborate debut for the new host, and all sorts of other things mundane, like his interests and were already asking about designating him. It took quite some time for the Hosts to take control of the situation, which Kyouya did, his voice ringing with authority and power.

"We will answer all your questions in the near future, but for now, it's time for club activities to end, so please don't worry your parents and guardians, by staying out late, ne?" Kyouya said, his 'gentlemanly and totally honest' smile curling his lips. The guests calmed down and while some swooned, the Hosts did manage to eventually get the guests to leave them to settle the situation with Aoi and Haruhi.

"How are we going to get him to come out?" Tamaki asked, although his question was not directed at any particular person. Tamaki had no doubts about his own courage, but even _he_ didn't dare to further aggravate Aoi, especially when Aoi was in such a temperamental state. Before anyone could come up with a good strategy, one of the twins, Hikaru, the more blunt of his siblings huffed, walked up to the changing room door and began pounding, demanding him to open up, in spite of Kaoru, trying to get him to back off by hanging onto one of his arms. But Hikaru wasn't scared of Aoi, not anymore, especially since Aoi had told him, that he and Kaoru reminded him strongly of his own twin brothers, who, apparently were pranksters in their own right.

A short moment later, they heard the soft click of the door unlocking, before the door opened soundlessly and the head of their mysterious schoolmate poked out. His hair was dripping wet, hanging about his shoulders and his expressive green eyes were still softly glowing, although the annoyance had long seeped out of them, and Aoi asked tentatively, "Are they gone?"

"They're gone, niisan, don't worry. It was time for activities to end, anyways," Haruhi assured, stepping forward, hanging onto the bag of spare clothes that Kyouya had given her a while ago. She watched as her niisan breathed an audible sigh of relief. It suddenly seemed amusing to her, that her brave, strong niisan, who could stand toe-to-toe with the Shadow King, was scared about a few whispers and stares, and Haruhi couldn't quite repress her chuckles. "You're normally not afraid of anything but a bunch of potential fangirls scared you into locking yourself away, niisan?"

Aoi gave no reply, as he stepped out into full view of the Hosts, and just crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving a huff and pouted. "It's not funny, Haruhi-chan. You have _no_ idea how scary girls are." Aoi shuddered, as he remembered the flood of love letters he had received back in Hogwarts; it seemed his female schoolmates had suddenly realized how physically amenable he was, which Aoi put solely down to the onslaught of puberty. No matter how many times he had shouted out that he was _as straight as a circle_, they had persisted in their presents and letters. True, some of them from his shyer female friends and classmates had prompted him to at least reject them gently but sometimes the gentle rejections don't work, and they still insisted that Aoi just hadn't found the right girl yet and was deluding himself. It was bloody annoying. After the War was won, and he'd completed his destiny, it got even worse. The press was one reason that he'd moved, with all his siblings in tow, to the opposite side of the world, his persistent fangirls were another.

Haruhi only laughed in reply. "Well, come on, niisan, I want to get changed," she smiled, after having ended her giggling fit, and pulled the reluctant raven out of the way before slipping into the changing rooms, herself. With Haruhi gone, the silence was awkward and tense, as the hosts wondered what they could possibly say. They had questions, a lot of them, but most were too scared to ask, like Tamaki or just wasn't overly concerned, such as Mori-sempai. Tamaki was the first one to break the silence.

"But why would you hide such riveting beauty behind the ugliness that handicaps you and makes you so positively _ordinary_? Why-?" Here, Kaoru slapped a hand over Tamaki's moving mouth to stop him from continuing to proclaim and praise to the high heavens Aoi's newly revealed physical attractiveness, which, if the gradually foreboding expression that was now coloring Aoi's face was anything to go by, was definitely _not _helping.

"Tono, why don't you get some towels for Haruhi? She didn't take any in, did she?"

"But there are towels in the changing room-" Tamaki began to protest, before Hikaru blatantly shoved the self-proclaimed 'King' towards the storage rooms to retrieve towels.

"Nope, nada. I just remembered there weren't any in the changing room," Hikaru said, still pushing the reluctant 'King' towards the storage room. The last thing any of them wanted was to have Aoi go on a killing spree, most probably with Tamaki at the top of the list. The twins each latched onto one arm of Tamaki, who was still dragging his feet, and practically hauled the blond-haired, overly flamboyant half-Japanese into the storage room, leaving Mori-sempai, Hani-sempai, Kyouya and Aoi, who was still dripping wet.

"Ne, ne, Ao-chan, would you like some cake?" Hani-sempai asked, holding up a _huge_ slice of pecan chocolate cake on a silver platter. It seemed Hani-sempai couldn't take much of the tension either and broke first. Aoi was determinedly not making eye contact with Kyouya, while Kyouya was subconsciously willing him to look up and make contact, which Aoi, of course, blatantly ignored. He smiled at the generous offer, which, if you knew Hani-sempai, was definitely generous, and picked up the platter with a word of thanks. Aoi suppressed a flinch as Hani-sempai was still watching him fervently, and obligingly picked up the accompanying silver spoon, took a spoonful of cake and put it into his open mouth. As he licked the remnant chocolate from the spoon, Aoi didn't hear Kyouya's breath hitch.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tamaki came back, with an armful of towels, ignoring the little fact that Haruhi wouldn't be able to use such a large number, with the twins walking in step with him. The twins pushed Tamaki towards the changing room, with Tamaki's indignant protest, "I'm going!" After Aoi had finished off the cake to Hani-sempai's satisfaction, he quickly slipped off his wet uniform coat, unknowingly giving a very delectable vision of wet shirt sticking to his chest. The hosts (Hikaru and Kaoru) blushed before determinedly averting their eyes, whereas Kyouya couldn't find the willpower to take his eyes off Aoi's lithe, toned body. The only ones who seemed unaffected were Mori-sempai and Hani-sempai, whereas Tamaki was in the changing rooms, presumably handing towels to the waiting Haruhi. It was a while before Tamaki came out, his face a curious twist of expression. The blond president gave no acknowledgement that he had even noticed the other Hosts, he passed by them and collapsed into one of the sofas, still with that completely blank expression on his face, which, for Tamaki, who was usually so expressive and animated, was extremely rare. Aoi was still avoiding Kyouya's piercing stare and Kyouya was still persistently staring, so only the other Hosts noticed the vacant expression on Tamaki's face.

Kaoru and Hikaru moved in front of the absent-minded King and took turns to snap their fingers right in front of his face, while Hani-sempai had pranced over to his side and was offering him yet _another_ slice of cake he had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Mori-sempai was… well, just standing, looking on calmly as usual. But despite all their efforts, it seemed that Tamaki was firmly ensconced in la-la-land. A click was heard, and the door to the changing room swung open, revealing Haruhi dressed in the _female_ uniform, complete with full-length yellow dress and a ribbon at the collar. Tamaki immediately snapped up.

"Y-you're a girl, Haruhi?" the blond second-year managed to stutter out, pointing an accusatory, albeit shaking, finger at Haruhi.

"Well, biologically, yes, I suppose," she answered, tugging a little at her ribbon to tighten it. It seems that their exchange finally managed to pull Kyouya away from his intense scrutiny of Aoi, who was _still_ avoiding making eye contact.

"You _knew_?" Tamaki practically shouted at Kyouya, holding a hand to his heart, and stumbling backwards at the betrayal and deception from someone he considers his best friend. In other words, Tamaki was acting like Tamaki.

Kyouya gave a cursory look over his spectacles at their President, and snapped his file shut. "Why, of course. I believe everyone else knew. Don't tell me you didn't," Kyouya smiled, his eyes becoming upside-down u's and a positively sadistic smile lighting up his handsome face. Tamaki fervently shook his head, clutching his blond hair as if unwilling to believe that he had been turned on and ganged up on by the rest of the club. Aoi, who had caught this melodramatic action out of the corner of his eye, gave a snort, before catching Kyouya's eye and unconsciously shared an amused look with him. Aoi soon caught what he was doing however, and quickly turned away, only to look back up when he noticed that Tamaki was standing in front of him.

"What?" Aoi asked curiously, wondering what the drama queen would want now.

The rest of the Hosts watched, their eyes bulging out, as Tamaki, without saying one word… reached up and patted Aoi's chest a few times. Aoi was shell-shocked for a moment, before he rolled his eyes in exasperation, and in spite of the glaring difference in their heights, stood on the tips of his toes, reached up and smacked Tamaki upside his head. "I'm 100% male, Tamaki," he deadpanned, watching impassively as Tamaki clutched his head, moaning about agony and whatnot.

"Anyways," Aoi said, turning to Haruhi, "let's go, Haruhi-chan. It's getting late, and your father will be worried about you." He gave a cursory nod farewell in the general direction of the hosts, slung his damp jacket over his shoulder, hooked with two fingers and made his way out, Haruhi giving a hasty, yet respectful bow goodbye to her fellow Hosts, while the rest of the Hosts watched.

(AN: I don't remember the exact wording when Tamaki finally found out Haruhi's gender, so please bear with me.)

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As the silence lengthened, Kyouya refused to or was unable to remove his eyes from Aoi's bowed head. He was _willing_ the other raven to look up, Kyouya didn't exactly know what good that would achieve, but he just knew he wanted to look into Aoi's expressive green eyes and if he was lucky, maybe the answer to all the questions currently burning in his mind would lie in their emerald depths. He ignored the twins as they pulled the reluctant Tamaki to retrieve towels, of all things. Kyouya mentally snorted. It was more likely to prevent Tamaki from putting his foot further in his mouth, which, although Tamaki was usually charming and charismatic, unfortunately happened all-too-often. Tamaki just didn't know how to read the atmosphere.

He watched as Hani-sempai whipped out a slice of cake from out of nowhere before handing it over to Aoi. Kyouya couldn't help but raise a dark eyebrow in askance. Hani-sempai was generous, make no mistake, but not about anything sweet. Kyouya scowled mentally, although his face betrayed no emotion, as Aoi accepted the offering with an answering smile that positively lit up his effeminate face. Oh, it wasn't that Kyouya didn't like seeing Aoi smile. In fact, Kyouya could definitely stand to see that kind of smile on Aoi's face on a daily basis. No, it was the fact that the smile was genuine and not the usually barbed, on-edge almost-grimace that he usually faced Kyouya with.

Of course, just a few seconds later, Kyouya would have bowed in gratitude for Hani-sempai's thinking to offer Aoi cake, if it were not completely against his principles. Aoi had just finished the slice of cake and, obviously not wanting to upset the smallest host, perfunctorily licked the silver spoon clean. Kyouya's black eyes sharpened, his breath hitched and he felt something akin to excitement rush through his veins. Of course, as soon as Aoi replaced the silver spoon on the now empty plate and thanked Hani-sempai, Kyouya blinked, confused, wondering what on earth had prompted him to have such a reaction and more importantly, _what_ exactly was he feeling.

He experienced a second onslaught of the same emotion again, when he watched Aoi shrug off his school coat, leaving only the customary white button-up shirt underneath, which was wet and outlined Aoi's toned and well-formed body. Aoi was still not meeting his eyes deliberately, but Kyouya was too riveted by the way that Aoi's every movement shifted the shirt and how said shirt was molded to Aoi's slim frame. He only snapped out of his very fascinating perusal of Aoi's body, when Tamaki blatantly walked in front of him to head into the changing room with a handful of towels, breaking his scrutiny of Aoi.

Of course, a few moments later, Tamaki came out, looking positively shocked, and collapsed into one of the sofas in an undignified heap. The behavior was so unlike Tamaki, that Kyouya was momentarily distracted from continuing to look at Aoi, in order to wonder what on earth was wrong with Tamaki, besides his usual drama-queen tendencies. The twins and Hani-sempai's efforts did nothing to make the vacant look on Tamaki's handsome visage recede. As the door to the changing room opened, and Haruhi stepped out in all her feminine glory, Kyouya finally understood.

Ah.

Kyouya pressed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose, and looked at Tamaki, just waiting for the impending drama, and Tamaki was never one to disappoint. He watched as Tamaki raise a shaky finger to point at the oblivious girl who had no idea she had just shocked the heck out of their club president.

"Y-you're a girl, Haruhi?" Tamaki stuttered. Kyouya had to bite down on the full-blown smirk trying to make its way across his face, completely breaking away his neutral expression. Tamaki was a lot of things, but perceptive, he was not. Truth be said, he was the densest person Kyouya had ever met. Oh, Kyouya knew what some call what Tamaki was, an innocent trusting boy, but Kyouya preferred the harsh truth. Tamaki was an idiot.

He heard Haruhi's nonchalant answer about her previously hidden gender, although it wasn't very much hidden since, aside from Tamaki, Kyouya was almost completely sure that the rest of the Hosts had figured it out at one point or another. Here, Kyouya allowed the _innocent _smile to blossom across his face, which Tamaki caught. "You _knew_?" the blond King breathed incredulously, now turning his attention away from the girl-turned-boy-turned-slave-turned-Host (AN: What a mouthful!) and looking at Kyouya with something akin to disbelief.

Kyouya just couldn't resist the opportunity to tease Tamaki. It was one of the perks of being a member of the Host Club, and one he deeply enjoyed. "Why, of course. I believe everyone else knew. Don't tell me you didn't," he smiled innocently, watching as Tamaki manically clutched onto his blond hair and shaking his head fervently, mumbling about Kyouya's perceived 'betrayal' and 'hurt' and other such nonsense. He heard a snort coming from the previously silent enigma of the Host Club, which was not Mori-sempai, and glanced up just in time to catch Aoi's eye. To his surprise, Aoi exchanged a look of mild amusement mixed with a little exasperation with him, at Tamaki's raving and drama-queen behavior. Something must have showed on his face, pronouncing his surprise, or something else, because Kyouya could see the way Aoi caught himself and frowned before hurriedly turning away again.

It was such a quick exchange that Kyouya had to convince himself that it did indeed happen. Yes, he was sure it did happen; Kyouya still remembered those green emeralds Aoi called eyes sparking with amusement and glowing softly. That one vision had taken Kyouya's breath away, so he was sure he hadn't imagined it in his utter frustration of not gaining any ground with Aoi on a more personal level. Kyouya resisted the urge to crow in triumph. _Finally_, after weeks of veiled insults and barbed conversations, he had found a common point with the elusive object of his curiosity, which apparently was Tamaki's complete naïveté and stu… ahem, innocence.

Of course, just a few moments later, Kyouya didn't feel like doing anything except throwing the file that he was currently gripping hard right into the back of Tamaki's dense head. Apparently, in his inattention, Tamaki had snapped out of his dramatics. The lovable blond idiot had then walked until he was standing toe-to-toe with Aoi, and under the shocked and bulging eyes of the Host Club, proceeded to …confirm that Aoi was indeed male, by patting Aoi's chest. Kyouya watched as the hand that had held many a rose to a swooning young lady patted Aoi's chest, who although he was not naked, the shirt was wet and had stuck to his skin, molding to every contour and showing a delectable, yet practically obscene picture. Kyouya was just about to give into his urge to simply throw his precious personal file into the back of Tamaki's head, when Aoi rolled his eyes, reached up and smacked Tamaki upside his head, while proclaiming that he was indeed male. Of course, Tamaki was again reduced to moaning dramatically again, clutching his head.

Aoi gave another roll of his eyes and gestured towards Haruhi, opening his mouth to tell her that they would be going home together. Funny, why did Kyouya never notice that Aoi had a nice voice? …Okay, so it was better than nice. Aoi's voice had a melodic quality to it, not quite making it the feminine high pitch that Kyouya had long associated with squealing girls, but not quite the deep masculine pitch that most males favored either. It was a captivating mix, and Kyouya found that his insides had a peculiar twist to them again. He watched with an impassive expression as Aoi slung his wet jacket over his shoulder and made his way out, Haruhi in tow.

Kyouya noticed absent-mindedly that this was the first time that one thing or person had captured his attention for such a long period of time, as he watched Aoi's receding back, oblivious to both Tamaki's whining, and the intrigue hidden underneath the whining.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Akka yawned. She was never good in the mornings, but it wasn't her fault, damn it! She couldn't help that she behaved like a hormone-ridden pregnant woman every morning, or at least until she had a nice cup of chocolate! Well, actually Akka didn't know much about pregnant women and their hormones. It just so happened that her homeroom teacher had recently become pregnant and was sent away on maternity leave, only to come back midway and demand to teach her class again. In the end, the school had to call the woman's poor husband to fetch the seven-months-along woman, who proceeded to scream at the poor guy jus because he had made a comment about hormones, cry because she hadn't meant to scream and laugh at the bewildered looks of the other teachers and children, thus mentally scarring all the innocent, naïve boys in the vicinity, who immediately swore eternal bachelorhood. However, it seemed today that Akka did not need to be woken up by chocolate as she was shocked awake when she caught side of her eldest brother.

Usually, in the morning, before they all awoke, barring that first morning in Japan, when they had that disastrous shopping trip, her niisan was already conscious and aware, seated at the table, with his disguise complete and not one hair out of place. This morning, her niisan was conscious and aware, but _his_ _disguise was missing_. It was such a shock that she stopped mid-step, walking into the breakfast room, causing the rest of her siblings to barrel into her inert body, still shocked in the doorway. At the sound of the commotion, her niisan looked up from his morning paper, and smiled.

"Ohayo, everyone. What are you all doing standing there? Come in, the breakfast's going to get cold," he said, still smiling, shuffling his newspaper and gesturing at the breakfast table which was set with place settings for all the siblings. Akka, still dumbfounded from seeing her brother not dressed for school, just nodded absently and walked in, the rest of the siblings equally surprised filing in using a line formation. Noboru, who had been standing behind the Master's seat hurried to each place and pulled out the chair to seat all the siblings in turn.

Finally, Chishiki could no longer stand the curiosity, and blurted, her chestnut brown hair hanging about her shoulders in her trademark frizzes, "Niisama, why aren't you dressed yet? It's almost time for school and there won't be enough time-" she rambled on, only to blush and sit back down when she caught sight of the amused spark in the green eyes and the incredulous raise of an eyebrow. "Sorry," she mumbled.

The eldest brother chuckled, as he disposed his paper on the table, "Don't any of you remember what happened yesterday?"

"…OH!" was the united response.

~flashback~

"Noboru-san, do you know when niisama will be back home?" Fuushigi asked, toweling off her wet dirty-blond hair, the evidence remaining from a shower, as she cast her customary dreamy-blue gaze on their chief butler/caretaker/babysitter/everything else. The attention of her other siblings were drawn at her question, and suddenly twelve pairs of eyes stared at Noboru, who was discomfited at this abrupt mock-interrogation.

"Um… I'm not sure, Fuushigi-sama. After all, since Aoi-sama joined his school club, he has been quite busy," Noboru replied uncomfortably, nervous from the sudden attention directed at him. At the mention of Aoi's 'school club', most of them frowned, expressing their anger and displeasure. Noboru recalled clearly the night that Aoi-sama had come back and told his siblings that he would be a little busy from then on and explained to them the reason that he would now be held back at school.

…_Flashback within a flashback…(AN: I'm confusing myself…)_

_"WHAT?!"_

_Aoi rubbed his sore ears, trying to get rid of the ringing caused by twelve young, shrill voices screaming into his ear. He chanced a look and had to bite down an amused chuckle at the petulant, rebellious looks, not to mention murderous, on the faces of his siblings._

_Kenshiki had a very fetching flush on his face in the form of two blotches denoting his anger. If that were not enough of a clue, the ugly scowl on his face was a dead giveaway. Chishiki had bounced out of her seat and started pacing the room at a frantic pace, her chestnut brown hair flying about as she ran her hands through it. Nao and Warai had crossed their arms across their chests, but only for a moment, before their identical freckled faces cracked into identical malicious smirks, which, of course, immediately caused Aoi to sober up._

_"Nao. Warai. You aren't thinking of pranking the Host Club, are you?" Aoi asked, casting a suspicious green-eyed gaze on the only pair of twins in his siblings. Twin pairs of light blue eyes looking out from two identical faces snapped to attention, showing nothing but innocence._

_"What-"_

_"-us?"_

_"We could never-"_

_"-be so misbehaved!"_

_Aoi snorted in disbelief, accompanied by snorts from several of the other occupants in the room, and surprisingly even a quiet, unnoticeable one from Noboru. Yeah, right. If they were left alone in the manor, without any supervision at all, for just one day, Aoi would come home to find a large crater where the manor used to stand._

_"Not that they don't deserve it," Yuujin grumbled viciously._

_"Yuu!" Aoi exclaimed, shocked that his redheaded brother would actually take part in a vicious act of vengeance. Yuujin, after all, was not one to actually perpetrate acts of mischief or misbehavior. He tended to be the innocent bystander, who gets dragged along into trouble by his brothers and sisters._

_"Oh, come on, Aoi-niisama. They trick Haruhi-neechan into joining their depraved club and now you have to go along to help neechan. I can just tell that they will be cruel and evil to you, niisama. And if that doesn't deserve some kind of payback, I don't know what does," Kenshiki huffed angrily._

_"They're not that bad…" Aoi mumbled, unable to deny the fact that the Host Club had indeed practically hogtied Haruhi into joining them. Of course, he, being the responsible aniki he was, had to follow and look after his sister. It was quite fortunate that the rest of his siblings didn't require as much care and attention as his newest honorary sister. After all, Haruhi, at the best of times, was naïve and innocent, sometimes to the extreme. It didn't help that Aoi didn't trust the Hosts one bit, especially if said Hosts included Ootori Kyouya._

_"I'd like to say we can trust these people, niisama, but from what they've done to Haruhi-neechan, if I DID say anything like that, it'd be a lie," Kenjou spoke up from the sofa where he was seated next to Fuushigi and had been feeding Trevor the toad. As if in agreement, Hedwig, Aoi's faithful owl from his days in the Wizarding World, flew over and landed on Aoi's shoulder, giving an agreeing hoot. _

_"So we're all in agreement to play the mother of all pranks on the Host Club?" Nao asked, his mind already going over the repertoire of pranks, most of which would get them all into a big pot of trouble, but if it meant getting back at the cheating, lying Host Club, it'd all be well-deserved. However, before any of them could say 'Aye', Aoi stepped in, to prevent things from going too far._

_"Listen, all of you. Haruhi-chan doesn't need more trouble in her life. If the Host Club is really as bad as you all say, then think of the repercussions that Haruhi-chan would have to face if you prank them. Don't all of you worry. I can look after Haruhi-chan and myself," Aoi said sternly, ending in a reassurance. He didn't mention any repercussions that HE would face, because Aoi knew, if it came down to it, he would be able to handle anything the Host Club could think up._

…_Flashback within a flashback ends…_

"Tadaima," came the tired voice from the front door. As a united body, all the siblings stood up from their previously relaxed postures in the living room, and rushed to welcome back their niisan only to step back in shock at the sight that greeted them.

Aoi looked like a drenched puppy, the short bangs that framed his face was plastered to it in their wet state. His shoulders were slumped from tiredness, or something else. But most importantly, his hair was free of the golfer's cap, and the glasses that had hindered his natural beauty were nowhere to be seen. He looked up at their noisy entry into the entrance hall, in the middle of handing over his equally drenched jacket and schoolbag to a waiting servant, whilst another hovered behind him, brandishing an armful of clean, white fluffy towels with the Gryffindor insignia sewn in gold thread into them.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" they all burst out.

Aoi gave a weary smile before he answered. "I was found out."

~flashback ends~

Their beautiful eldest brother no longer could employ the hideous, albeit useful, façade he had made full use of since school started a few weeks ago. None of them voiced it but they had all felt it a pity that Aoi was forced to conceal his true self in order to avoid detection by the press and his fangirl associations. Now, he could hide no longer, which wasn't really a bad thing though you'd have to kill them first if you wanted them to thank the Host Club for indirectly forcing Aoi to reveal himself. Oh well, if any of the unwelcome blasts from the past came, they'd find out the true terror of the Natsui siblings. (AN:…shudder….)

"So can I play dress-up with you this morning then?" Akka asked. The other siblings looked at her with a mixture of amusement and incredulity. Their brother had just been found out and probably gained a lot of stalkers… ahem, fangirls and possibly fanboys, and all Akka could think of was making Aoi her new dress-up doll?!

Aoi chuckled, before patting her red head consolingly. "Gomen, Akka-chan. I still think it's not that good an idea to go too much against the school's dress code." Akka blushed as the rest of her siblings snorted, and even a reluctant, involuntary smile appeared on Noboru's face.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Kyouya was uncharacteristically, though metaphorically, hanging on the edge of his seat this morning, as he waited for the last remnants of the class to trickle in, just in time before the morning bell. He wanted to talk to Aoi, even if it was just an exchange of veiled insults, but at least now that he'd seen those hypnotizing green eyes, Kyouya could at least imagine the enrapturing color as they flashed in challenge even if he couldn't quite see them when they were hidden behind those monstrosities Aoi called glasses.

Of course, he never expected that he wouldn't need to visualize them in his mind's eye.

Their homeroom teacher, a petite young woman, Takezawa Ruriko-sensei, whose temper did not match her diminutive size, was just making the daily roll call, finally arriving at Natsui, who was still not there yet.

"Natsui-sama? Is Natsui-sama here?" she questioned, her face already flushing with anger and impatience when no one answered the call. She huffed in annoyance and was just about to move to the next name in the list, when the door slammed open, and the object of Takezawa-sensei's current ire skidded in, one hand on the strap of his school backpack, and raven hair, tied in the trademark ponytail, free of the golfer's hat, falling down to reach his lower back. Takezawa-sensei's face was still flushed, but anyone with eyes could tell it was for a very different reason now.

"Gomen, sensei, for not being punctual," Aoi said, with a disarming smile curling the full lips, as he rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish gesture, which was very obviously an unconscious gesture on his part. He didn't act as if he noticed the many sighs from the girls who were all familiar guests at the Host Club and had mostly been present during his great unveiling yesterday, or the way the guys, who were obviously _not_ familiar guests of the Hosts, had dropped their jaws at his unexpected appearance.

Their petite sensei seemed to come back to herself, as she made a show of shuffling the papers on her desk in order to hide her deep blush, and managed to say, without even one sign of stuttering, "Well, don't make a habit of it!"

"Hai," Aoi answered with a bow, ignoring the blatant admiring stares of most of his female classmates and some male, and the envious looks decorating the faces of the rest of his male classmates, out of practice, as he made his way to his usual seat.

Kyouya snapped out of staring at his mysterious quarry and looked down to see he had managed to tear a page of his Math textbook out at the seams. He stared blankly at the torn page for a moment, and thought back to the dramatic entrance that Aoi had made, one that would have been worthy of Tamaki. He was shocked that Aoi had not resumed his disguise, but if he applied logic, it was only natural, especially since half the students in the high school division had been at the club room yesterday afternoon, and those who hadn't been had most likely been informed by their more talkative friends. Kyouya frowned. Shouldn't he be satisfied that Aoi had chosen to keep at least the physical part of him exposed? Now, Kyouya could easily gauge Aoi's reactions, especially with eyes as expressive as Aoi's. But, instead Kyouya felt an unexplainable anger churning his insides at the thought that Aoi could so easily show everyone one layer of him, especially when Kyouya had fighting tooth and nail for the last few weeks to even strip one layer of his mask. These people, who had done _nothing_, did not deserve to gaze upon Aoi in such a manner. It should be he, who had worked so hard to get close to Aoi, that deserved to look at the Aoi that did not don a mask.

Kyouya was so caught up in his angered thoughts that he failed to notice, for the very first time, the knowing and very-_Kyouya _smirk on the face of his blond-haired neighbor.

_________________________________________________________________________________

…Lunchtime…

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of their lunch hour. Aoi stretched his arms above his head, feeling the easing of the muscles in his shoulders, while unknowingly giving a very… _stimulating_ vision to those of his classmates that were still enraptured by his new appearance and had been sneaking glances at him throughout the class. Aoi did not acknowledge any of them though, refusing to raise his head and making eye-contact, just keeping his head bowed, continuing to write his notes. The only one time that Aoi raised his head through the entire class was when he felt the dark gaze that he had long become accustomed to focused on him again. His emerald eyes had sparked in challenge as he met those dark eyes head-on, refusing to back down from what Aoi perceived as a challenge. Surprisingly, something akin to satisfaction along with something else had gone through those eyes, before Kyouya gave his customary smirk and turned his attention back to the class.

Aoi's thought then had been: _What the hell?_

Now that it was lunchtime, the staring from his admiring classmates had become even more blatant and obvious, although Aoi still refused to acknowledge any of them. Oh, Aoi knew very clearly what would happen if he made eye contact. First would come the blush, then the giggle, finally culminating in a girlish squeal. Aoi was just thinking how he could sneak out of the classroom out of the notice of his scrutinizing classmates, when he heard someone tap on his desk. He looked up to find the blond-haired President of the Host Club standing in front of his desk, obviously trying to gain his attention.

"Is there something you wanted, Tamaki?"

"Well, Aoi-kun, I was hoping that you might join the Host Club," Tamaki said bluntly, for the first time Aoi could remember, ignoring the girls who had heard his request squealing.

"What, Tamaki? You didn't discuss this with me," came the unexpected protest from the lips of Ootori Kyouya, as he strode in his usual confident manner, until he stood side by side with the President, turning his dark gaze from Aoi to Tamaki.

"But, Kyouya, I assumed, you, like _moi_, would have the club's best interests in mind. Can you not see the potential that Aoi-kun has, that obviously qualifies him to take the post of a Host inside the club?" Tamaki asked, in a childish manner.

Aoi was about to slap down a flat refusal into Tamaki's handsome face when he reconsidered. If he were to be a host, then Aoi would be able to escape the mundane jobs that were usually accorded to being the Host Club's little errand boy, thus enabling him more time to watch over Haruhi-chan and make sure that she doesn't fall prey to the manipulations of the club's Shadow King. Moreover, if he were to designate a certain time, allowing the girls to *shudder* _ogle_ him, then, even if he couldn't stop them from joining his fan club, Aoi could at the very least have some control of him. Additionally, it seemed that Kyouya was vehemently against him joining for some reason, and anything to piss Kyouya off was right, in his opinion.

"Okay."

Kyouya and Tamaki paused in their childish argument, and asked simultaneously, "What?"

"I said okay." Once again, Aoi blatantly ignored the squealing from the girls.

"Great, now about today's cosplay…" Tamaki began explaining about the day's club activity to the mysterious raven, oblivious to the furious gaze of the other raven, that was boring into his back. If looks could kill, all of Tamaki's guests would be mourning him right about now.

_________________________________________________________________________________

_Stupid Tamaki,_ Kyouya thought furiously, even as he entertained his designated guest with a polite smile, managing to thoroughly enchant the girl with a few well-said words and well-placed gestures, even if he were plotting the murder of a certain blond idiot in his mind. _I can't believe he used the club against me. Wait._ Kyouya blinked in confusion. _Why am I so against Aoi joining? _(AN: Yes, he calls him Aoi in his head, even if he still calls him Natsui-kun in public.)_ I should be happy. With Aoi's joining the Host Club, he would undoubtedly raise out profits, especially with those rapturous green eyes, that seems to glow mysteriously, his effeminate appearance will be a definite plus and his hair…_ Kyouya was so busy thinking of Aoi's many physical virtues that he failed to notice that his guest was addressing him.

"Kyouya-sama?"

Finally, Kyouya snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, hime?"

"What were you thinking about?" the first year who was his guest for the day asked politely, although she had a rather impatient air about her.

"Obviously about you, hime. You look much outstanding today."

The girl blushed, and Kyouya found himself repressing an annoyed frown. It only took a few words and all the girls would bend to his will. He often wondered whether they were beguiled by his charm or simply vulnerable to good looks. Why couldn't any of the girls resist him? No, not only the girls…No matter what the gender was, show them kindness and warmth, and they would automatically follow him. No… the only one who had resisted every one of his attempts was…

Kyouya again looked at a nearby table, not for the first time since club activities began and most probably not the last, where a familiar raven was sitting, talking to his first guests as a Host.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"So, Aoi-sama, tell us about yourself," the third year seated on Aoi's left, Atsushi Yuriko, asked, smiling politely. Her second-year neighbor, seated on Aoi's right, nodded in encouragement.

"Please, you are the guests here. Why don't _you_ tell _me_ about yourselves?" Aoi smiled enchantingly, mentally thanking all the pureblood lessons he had taken on the side by request of Draco. It apparently had been Draco's own form of encouragement for Aoi, no… he was Harry Potter then, to take those pureblood lessons in etiquette and everything, so that he could fit in the social circles of the nobility comfortably after the war. Although Harry had failed to grasp why the hell he should take lessons in charming a young lady as propriety and circumstance dictated, especially when there was a war going on, to avoid from hurting Draco's feelings and appease his constant nagging, Harry had obliged. Who knew he would use them under such circumstances?

_________________________________________________________________________________

"So what's wrong with Tamaki?" Aoi asked, looking at the despondent posture the 'King' was in, slouching as he chomped down on what he affectionately called commoner's ramen, although it was an obvious insult to Haruhi and Aoi. Club activities had ended and the guests were all gone, leaving the Hosts to have their usual meeting, which was decided on every day that there was club activity.

"Well…" Kaoru said, and explained how Tamaki's ex-regular customer, a second-year named Kasugazaki Kanako, had chosen Haruhi as her new favorite. Aoi couldn't stop laughing at that and held his sides in hysterical amusement. He may very well be overprotective of his siblings, but it didn't mean he couldn't make fun of them sometimes.

"So… let me get this straight: one of Tamaki's regular guests chose Haruhi-chan over Tamaki?" Aoi chuckled, glancing fondly and with more than a little amusement at the deadpan appearance of Haruhi who was seated beside him. Sensing his eyes on her, Haruhi just shrugged and gestured at Tamaki.

"It's not like I wanted to make Tamaki-sempai jealous that his guest preferred me."

"NO!!!" Tamaki shouted in protest against the accusation. "That's not how it is!!! I can't take it anymore!!! Haruhi, start looking like a girl already!" the blond King demanded petulantly, leading to twin looks of confusion on both Aoi's and Haruhi's faces.

"Tamaki, what does Haruhi looking like a girl have anything to do with this?" Aoi asked, more than a little confused by the abrupt manner in which Tamaki jumped from topic to topic mid-conversation. Honestly, it was like he was watching a pinball game when Tamaki talked, with Tamaki zigzagging, twisting and turning to each and every issue, with no coherent thought chain.

"Of course, it has something to do with this!" Tamaki complained. "What use is there for a girl to be popular amongst girls?" From out of nowhere, Tamaki whipped out a blown-up picture of when Haruhi still looked relatively female, meaning when her hair was still long. "Daddy wants to see when Haruhi looks like this!!!"

Apparently, Tamaki had claimed himself as Haruhi's second daddy, not that he even received permission from said girl. Of course, that only managed to enrage Haruhi, who snatched the picture from Tamaki and exclaimed loudly, "Don't blow up my picture without my permission!" Aoi watched with an amused eye the ongoing drama. He had wanted to smack Tamaki for blowing Haruhi's picture up without permission, but it seemed that his sister was more than able to take care of the hyperactive blonde all by herself.

"AOI!" Tamaki now turned to appeal to Haruhi's honorary brother, who was chuckling from his position still seated at the conference table, "Talk to your sister! Tell her that she should look like a girl already!"

"Um… well, I don't really think it matters that much, Tamaki. I mean, if Haruhi-chan wants to dress up like a boy, it's her freedom to do what she wants." _Besides, at least this way, Haruhi-chan would be safer from the arrogant prick's sadism,_ he added to himself. He chanced a look at Kyouya, who was pretending to tap rhythmically at his laptop while secretly observing the proceedings, or more specifically Aoi, not that Aoi knew, of course. As Kyouya quirked an eyebrow at Aoi, Aoi smiled in response before turning back to watch his personal soap opera. _Yup, Haruhi-chan would be safer where I can watch her as a Host, rather than going back to becoming gopher._

In his inattention, though, it seemed that Tamaki had given Haruhi an ultimatum to learn ballroom dancing in time for the upcoming dance party, or revert back to gopher status. He just knew this was going to come back to bite him where it hurts, but Aoi couldn't simply ignore his sister's plight. "Don't worry, Haruhi-chan. I'll teach you," he said calmly, popping Tamaki's imaginary bubble where Tamaki was thinking of when Haruhi failed her task and had to revert back to her feminine appearance.

"You know how?" the hosts all exclaimed. Even Kyouya had paused in his little pretend-show to raise a questioning eyebrow at the unexpected offer. The hosts had all been apprised of Aoi's background, courtesy of Kyouya, of course, and had thought that Aoi was from a mediocre background, or what they viewed as mediocre. After all, Natsui Aoi was supposed to be from a family who only had a small chain of shops to support their finances, and Aoi was supposed to have enrolled only as a second year due to his family's recent prosperity, unlike them, who had been born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Where could a personality like that have learned ballroom dancing, of all things?

Nobody voiced the question, though, so there was no answer from Aoi. Aoi simply raised an eyebrow at them, momentarily forgetting his persona, replying, "Of course I do. And since I'm not that much taller than Haruhi-chan, I can play the female when we have our dance lessons."

"Arigato, niisan," Haruhi smiled gratefully.

The meeting ended, leaving a lot of questions on the minds of all the Hosts, but the most compelling one was: _Who are you, Natsui Aoi?_

_________________________________________________________________________________

A few days of dance lessons later, a few days before the dance party…

Tamaki watched with barely veiled frustration as the dance lessons went on. If things kept going at this pace, Haruhi would be ready and steady when it came time for the dance party. He cast a distracted eye on the other frustrated Host in the club, and just barely managed to keep the smile that was threatening to spread across his face hidden. Although the others didn't notice it, Tamaki could very easily spot the signs signaling Kyouya's agitation as the raven Host watched the object of his persistent attention being gracefully twirled by Haruhi in an elegant waltz. This was the first time Tamaki had ever seen Kyouya so blatantly interested in someone, and while he wasn't sure if it was just simple curiosity or… _something more_, he could tell Kyouya wouldn't be giving up his new hobby of Aoi-watching anytime soon. Scratch that. It was obviously not just simple curiosity, but the _something more_? That Tamaki was not so sure about.

"You're doing very well, Haruhi-chan. Just don't keep looking at your feet, and you'll do fine," Aoi smiled, a moment later as the waltz ended, and Haruhi released her hold on his slender waist. Haruhi opened her mouth, presumably to thank him for the compliment when a knock came from the door. The door opened, and a familiar-looking chestnut-haired girl came in.

"Um… excuse me, but I was asked to come here after classes," Kasugazaki Kanako began hesitantly. The hosts glanced at each other in question, only for Aoi to speak up.

"That's right, Kasugazaki-san. I was hoping you could do a favour for myself and Haruhi-chan here," he gestured at the gaping girl. "I've been coaching him in ballroom dancing, since we're almost the same height and I could comfortably play the female part. However, I would like you to be… well, sort of a mock exam for her, seeing as the dance party is just around the corner, and you'd be more capable than myself seeing as you're obviously a girl."

Kasugazaki smiled in response, "I'd be delighted." She then offered a hand to Haruhi, who hurriedly stepped forward to engage her in another waltz, leaving Aoi to step back and watch from the sidelines, as Haruhi, while not good enough to be professional, could definitely pass muster in a high school dance, even if the dance was Ouran Academy-standard. The waltz ended, and Haruhi gave a perfunctory bow, whereas Kasugazaki responded with a curtsey, and complimented her on her speedy learning.

Haruhi looked fondly at Aoi, who was blushing heavily, "I had a good teacher."

"You certainly have, if you managed to come this far by just a few les-"

Whatever Kasugazaki had been about to say was interrupted, as the door opened a second time. This time, an average-looking boy stood in the doorway, holding onto a box, while Kyouya greeted him. Aoi could easily tell that something was going on between the boy and his invited examiner, going by the way she stiffened when she heard his voice and how she immediately rushed off, when Haruhi just simply asked if she knew the other visitor.

"Why did she seem so nervous when that boy came in?" Aoi asked curiously, under his breath. He didn't expect anyone to hear him but apparently Hani-sempai did. The blond cherub bounced over to his side, and smilingly informed him that the boy was apparently Kasugazaki's fiancée.

Kyouya snapped out his trustworthy file, flipping to the page detailing information related to the pair, and was just about to open his mouth to give his report regarding the couple, when he suddenly became tongue-tied, when he felt an unexpected tickle across his hand. Aoi was standing next to him and peering at his file at the information, so close that Kyouya could literally feel the boy's warm breath trailing on his exposed hand. Kyouya found he had no words, momentarily distracted by the warmth of the other body that was pressed slightly against his side, while Aoi inspected the information he had collected curiously.

"Hmmm…" Aoi said thoughtfully, straightening, not noticing the severe effect his proximity had on the boy next to him, "it seems that the boy, Suzushima Tohru is a fairly average guy, with average grades and all."

"In other words, completely boring," the twins quipped in simultaneously.

"I see," Tamaki began. "Then it's time for our appearance. After all, the Ouran Host Club exists to bring happiness to our guests. As Kasugano-hime is obviously unhappy, judging by her 'host-jumping' illness, it is our holy duty to return her happiness to her!" Tamaki ended with a flourish. Aoi sighed, and pressed his forefingers to his temples, trying to stave off the headache that was threatening to pound his brains in. Tamaki's plans, while dramatic and completely unrealistic, always managed to drag everyone, more importantly, Haruhi and himself, in to cooperate.

It looks like Aoi would be getting a regular prescription of headache potions from Madam Pomfrey soon.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The dance party…

"I have a bad feeling about tonight," Aoi muttered, while still maintaining a polite smile, as he gracefully maneuvered his partner in a delicate waltz across the dance floor. Just as the waltz ended, Aoi saw out of the corner of his eye, Hani-sempai and Mori-sempai grab Haruhi who had been dancing with Kasugazaki, signaling the beginning of Tamaki's plans. He breathed an inaudible sigh, and bowed with a gentlemanly flourish, excusing himself, to follow the Hosts who were rushing off with Haruhi in what he would have thought of as a kidnap attempt, if he hadn't known about Tamaki's farfetched plans. Tamaki's plan was apparently to find out the true reason behind the awkwardness of the relationship between Suzushima and Kasugazaki, by means of his sister, the only girl in their association.

Just for tonight, Haruhi was to take on a feminine appearance and go 'undercover', so to speak. As Aoi waited for the final product outside the changing area, he tried shrugging off the bad feeling, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't go away. He watched as the curtain slid open, just as Tamaki burst in, demanding explanations for the Hosts' absence to leave the guests to fend for themselves, only to stop midway and watch as the completely transformed young lady appeared. It was definitely amusing to see the usually self-confident King drop his jaw and watched the receding back of Haruhi as she went to fulfill her mission.

"Flies, Tamaki, flies," Aoi chuckled, closing Tamaki's jaw for him.

________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, Tamaki's plans had played out in full. Apparently, Kasugazaki was infuriated because her fiancé was leaving her to go for further studies abroad in England, whereas Suzushima felt that he wasn't good enough for her and wanted to go to England to improve himself, so that he could finally be a man suited to her. Of course, a lack of communication and understanding between the pair was what had caused the rift, and the origin of Kasugazaki's 'host-wandering' illness, which was actually the girl's attempt to make her fiancé jealous.

At the end, everything worked out all right. The couple had resolved their differences and Tamaki named Kasugazaki as the dance queen for the night, to be rewarded by a kiss on the cheek from the King of the Host Club, meaning Tamaki. Unfortunately, this was where things started to go wrong.

"The rewarding kiss from the King will now be from our dearest Fujioka Haruhi-kun," the twins announced, much to the shock and surprise of everyone else. Aoi quirked an eyebrow at the twins, causing the pair to back away nervously. "It's not our fault, Aoi-sempai. Kyouya-sempai said that a surprise at the end would heat things up." For what seemed like the umpteenth time since he had gotten entangled with the Host Club, Aoi heaved a bone-weary sigh. _Of course, it was the arrogant prick's fault,_ he thought, leveling a venomous glare at the object of his current infuriation, who had the gall to actually raise a questioning eyebrow at him, as if he didn't know what he did.

Haruhi sighed in a similar manner, stepping forward to bestow the kiss upon the waiting girl. Of course, this was when things started to go very, _very_ wrong.

Out of the nearby bushes, as the final dance involving only the estranged couple, suddenly toppled out a brown-haired boy who was all-too-familiar to Aoi's eyes. The little boy lost his balance and crashed into Haruhi, causing Haruhi to, instead of kissing Kasugazaki's cheek, kiss her fully on the mouth. It was utter silence, as everyone's attention was drawn to the uninvited guest.

"What are you doing here, Natsui Kenjou?" Aoi snapped out tersely, ignoring all the eyes that had snapped like whiplash back to him.

The boy looked up and smiled awkwardly, "Um… hello, niisama."

_________________________________________________________________________________

AN:

Dun-dun-dun!!!

Finally, the much-awaited match --- Natsui siblings VS. Host Club!!!

Uh-oh. Trouble is brewing…

Wait for the turbulent Chapter 9!

Bio of the day:-

Name: Natsui Shitsuke (previously Percy Weasley)

Current Age: 11 years old

Likes: Books and knowledge, his brothers and sisters, especially Aoi-niisama, enforcing rules and regulations

Dislikes: Those who blatantly ignore set rules and pranks.

Details:

Shitsuke is definitely a mother's dream come true. Perfectly well-behaved, with a drive to succeed, as well as obedient. Unfortunately, this often places him at a crossroads, especially when he has two pranksters for brothers like Nao and Warai. Luckily, he finds a bosom friend with his other sibling, Chishiki, who shares many interests with him. However, when it comes right down to it, Shitsuke would be there for his family.

Remember to R & R!!!


	9. Chapter 9 Unwanted Visitor

AN:

Hi, guys!!! Sorry about the abnormally late update!!!!

Unfortunately, amazing, splendorous, fantabulous, genius, ti… ahem, well, you get the idea, fanfiction writer I may be, I have my own reality, which comes a-knocking in the form of… urgh…. College exams!

Thus, my late update!

Sorry for the wait, and my thanks for those who have kept faithful to my fanfic!!!

Last but not least, thanks for your reviews!!! Keep them coming!

I hope I've managed to put to rest any worries about my having any writer's block…

By the way, starting from 4th Dec, my updates will be a little irregular and sporadic, since I will be unable to access the internet for a month until 4th Jan. However, before then, I hope to get at least one more chapter up before 4th, so wish me luck!

Disclaimer: You know the drill, so don't make me repeat myself….

* * *

Chapter 9: Unwanted Visitor

"Everyone, please calm yourselves," Kyouya said, smiling in a way to calm the bewildered young ladies, who were more than a little surprised at the sudden appearance of the eleven-year-old kid who had suddenly appeared from out of the bushes, that apparently happened to be Aoi's younger brother. Once peace was relatively restored, Kyouya began again, "Now that the final dance for the night has occurred and our dance queen for the night has been elected, we must now draw this Host Club event to a close, unfortunately. However, to recompense for the minor disruption in your delightful evening, we have arranged for the Host of your choice to convey all young ladies home. Good night and sweet dreams," he announced to the answering squeals of the guests.

Not unexpectedly, no one made the idiotic slight to actually ask Aoi to send them home, especially when he had a completely expressionless but still slightly scary face, looking straight ahead, standing on the balcony next to his brother. In less than an hour, all the guests were sent home, and the Hosts had returned to deal with the current 'situation', although it was more likely that they came back to catch the drama that would soon begin. The Hosts were still standing on the balcony with Aoi's younger brother, when, without warning, Aoi placed two fingers to his lips and gave a sharp whistle, effectively startling the others.

If you thought the Host Club had been surprised seeing the sudden appearance of Aoi's brother, you don't know the meaning of the word. Under the glow of the full moon, and the eyes of the Hosts, the bushes rustled yet again, and a troop of children that consisted of the rest of the Natsui siblings stumbled out, followed, surprisingly, by a young man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties.

"Come." It was just a one-word command from Aoi, before he turned and walked back indoors, heading out of the ballroom that the school had cordially allowed the Host Club to utilize for their event and in the direction of the Third Music Room, but the rest of the uninvited guests stumbled in their hurry to follow. The Hosts glanced at each other in question before shrugging and joining the march. They had finally arrived at their destination, and found Aoi sitting in a straight-back chair with his arms folded across his chest, looking impassive, although his emerald gaze bore into each and every one of the children who all had their heads bowed, unwilling to catch the eye of their eldest brother.

"Talk."

The Hosts watched as the only redheaded girl seemingly squared her shoulders and tightened her nerves as she stepped forward. It was obvious that this little girl was the unofficial elected speaker of their group. She opened her mouth and…

~a few hours earlier~

"And where do you think you're going?" came the unmistakable voice of their little redheaded firecracker of a sister, just as the twins had been about to sneak past the threshold. They turned around simultaneously, and just as they knew it, the three girls, Chishiki, Akka and Fuushigi were standing right behind them with cardigans draped over their nightgowns in the middle of the hallway. It was just their luck that all of their siblings had suites that branched off the same hallway, as it seemed like an organized performance that the rest of the doors opened and the heads of their other siblings popped out.

The twins spared a glance at each other, before grinning in a completely _innocent_ way. "Um… nowhere?" It was more a question than an answer and everyone knew it.

"You're going to Aoi-niisama's party, aren't you?" Shitsuke asked, narrowing his eyes as he stepped fully into the hallway. The twins looked at each other again, sighed in defeat before answering.

"Yes."

Shitsuke pushed his horn-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth. The twins braced themselves, preparing for the lecture of all lectures that would put the words of a university professor to shame, when the most unexpected thing happened.

"Not without me."

All the other siblings gasped in shock. The stick-in-the-mud, complete rule-maniac of the family, Natsui Shitsuke a.k.a. Thoth Potter-Black was not only condoning the breaking of rules, he was _participating_? Chishiki was the first one to respond and next to surprise. "Well, I'm going too." A second wave of shock passed through the assembled children, at the yet again completely unexpected response from the second most unexpected person. But it was only momentary as the rest of the siblings gradually nodded their assent.

"Uh, not that-"

"-we dislike the change of pace-"

"-but-"

"-WHY?"

Akka huffed and crossed her arms over her chest in a petulant manner. "We're worried about Haruhi-neechan and Aoi-niisama, too, you know. They now not only monopolize niisama's after-class time but are taking his nights as well? Moreover, Haruhi-neechan has to study very hard to achieve her dream of being a lawyer, and the club is obviously a disruption and a distraction to her. We should go and meet these Hosts, and set them straight so they would stop bothering innocent bystanders with their cockamamie schemes!"

"We shouldn't be so confrontational just at our first meeting," Saiki said calmly. "Starting a fight with the Hosts will hardly please Aoi-niisama. After all, he's always mentioned the Hosts aren't as bad as we think."

"So what, you think we should just sit back and relax, watching them keep bullying Aoi-niisama and Haruhi-neechan?" Yuujin exclaimed, his complexion quickly coloring in his anger. Yuujin was never well-known for being level-headed. He was usually the fastest to jump to conclusions that were more often than not, way off-base.

"No, dimwit," Kenshiki said condescendingly from his open doorway. "What Saiki means is that this we will only _observe_. No action. For now at least," he drawled, ending in a mumble, although the others all heard the threat heavily emphasized in his voice. "All agreed?" Kenshiki asked, his voice louder to carry over to all his siblings. The general response were the nodding of heads, and as one, all the siblings, sans Nao and Warai, turned back into their respective suites to change out of their sleepwear and prepare for… Operation Host Watch.

Less than ten minutes later, twelve heads of various colors were seen making their way towards the front door, sneaking across the dark, deserted hallway, only to be completely startled when the lights came on without a warning. "And where might obocchama and ojousama-tachi be heading on this night of the full moon?"

All the kids turned around to see the familiar face of their caretaker, who was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, dressed in his trademark tuxedo, the general uniform for the male higher-ranked servants of the Manor, except that he had a little gold badge engraved in the form of a Gryffin pinned to his lapel.

"Uh…"

"For a walk?" Chishiki suggested hopelessly.

Noboru gave an uncharacteristic snort and rolled his eyes. It seems the bad habits of his youthful charges were rubbing off on him against his will. "I hardly think a walk would require flashlights. No… you're going to the dance party where Aoi-sama is at, aren't you?"

"We're just going-"

"-to check them out."

"Yes, to make sure they aren't overstepping their boundaries with niisama."

Noboru shook his head fervently. "Absolutely not. Aoi-sama would be most disappointed if you were to sneak out, not to mention furious." Noboru could remember the one time Aoi-sama had blown his top, and it was not a pretty sight. He had no intention to have the wrath of Natsui Aoi to visit upon his person, especially if he allowed the children to sneak out.

"Well, we're going whether you like it or not," Akka spoke up petulantly, adopting a similar defensive posture with her arms crossed over her chest. "However," she grinned mischievously, "you can choose to either stay here or come with us. If you come with us, you could at least have some level of supervision over us, to make sure we don't misbehave…" she trailed off cajolingly.

"Or I could stop you from going altogether."

"Please be realistic, Noboru-san," Kenshiki smirked. "There are twelve of us and one of you. You could stop maybe two or three of us, but what about the rest? Moreover, we're all small in size and stature, making it that much harder for you to catch us. Oh, and as an extra note, we're all fleet-footed and agile. As soon as we get out the door, you would never be able to see us let alone catch us, especially since it's dark."

The logic was undeniable and completely waterproof. Noboru was not out of shape, but he'd never be able to catch all twelve healthy, fit, fast young children. He was given a choice but it wasn't a choice at all. Noboru pressed his forefingers to his temples, and sighed. He could only hope that Aoi-sama wouldn't be too furious with him.

"Fine."

… Fast-forward to just when Haruhi was coming closer to Kasugazaki…

"I can't believe they're forcing a _girl_ to give away her _first kiss_!" Akka whispered furiously, her trimmed fingernails digging into Nao's arm, who was unfortunate enough to be the one to be crouched next to her. Even Chishiki and Fuushigi, who did not care as much about the feminine side of things as their fiery redhead sister, were angered, if the scowls on their faces were anything to go by.

"What?! Even a guy like me knows a girl's first kiss is sacred!" Kenshiki muttered under his breath. Although it was only a kiss on the cheek, it was practically sacrilegious that Haruhi's first kiss would be exploited in such a manner. All thirteen of them, including Noboru, had miraculously snuck into the school under the cloak of night, without attracting unwanted attention and were currently huddled behind some very convenient bushes as they watched the proceedings. Unfortunately, they failed to notice that although the bushes were convenient, they were hardly enough to hide twelve eleven-year-olds and a grown man.

A couple of whispered protests ("Stop pushing!" "I can't see!" "Hold on!"), and Kenjou who was the unlucky one who happened to be strategically placed at the forefront of their group, was forced out into the moonlight, drawing the eyes of the guests that were actually _invited_ to the dance party, the Host Club itself, but most importantly, their niisama.

~Coming back to current events~

"…and that's what happened," Akka finished.

Complete silence.

The under-fifteens were all nervously waiting for their eldest brother's verdict, which they could in no way garner a guess at, especially since Aoi's face was still as blank as a mirror. The Hosts were trying to process the idea that these elementary kids had snuck out of the safety of their home at night to spy on them, although granted Kyouya was more of the idea that he may be able to figure out further facets of the raven-haired enigma, by approaching his siblings. Noboru was wishing he had brought a just-in-case headache potion with him, and if he could manage it, one that would permanently stop his heartbeat; Noboru really, _really_ didn't want to deal with an annoyed Aoi-sama, let alone a furious one.

"I know I should have stopped them, Aoi-sama, and my deepest apologies on-" Noboru began to babble nervously, caught by the spell of that hypnotizing green-eyed stare, before a bubble of laughter issued from his employer.

Aoi was _laughing_. The siblings heaved a simultaneous breath of relief. If their brother could see enough comic quality in the situation, that meant he wasn't too angry, and wasn't likely to hang them upside down from the ceiling by their ankles to _encourage_ their repentance. No, if Aoi was laughing, that meant that any punishment, if any, would be relatively light, as compared to when he _was_ angry. Haruhi and Hani-sempai both smiled serenely as it seemed the tension-filled atmosphere was broken and all the heaviness in the air pressing in on them was alleviated, whereas the rest of the Hosts were more confused than not at Aoi's sudden and definitely odd bout of humor.

"You were all worried about me, so I understand that much," Aoi explained, once his humor had abated. And indeed he did see. Although he had been more than a little upset at first when his brothers and sisters had blatantly disobeyed and the fact that twelve pre-teens were wandering around at night in dangerous Tokyo, ignoring the fact that Noboru was with them, he could see that they had good intentions and did not mean to misbehave. Besides, it was funny how the two self-proclaimed 'Best Prankster Twins' had been caught mid-escape by the tiny redhead girl and how _all_ of them were caught by Noboru, the most unassuming, strait-laced and completely on-the-straight-and-narrow guy Aoi had ever met.

"However," Aoi continued sternly, seeming not to notice that his siblings all gulped in trepidation, "while your intentions are good, all of you have misbehaved most terribly. You know what they say: 'The road to hell is paved with good intentions.' Therefore, there _will_ be punishment."

"Yuu, you will not be allowed dessert for a week but you may have a late-night snack to replace it – something healthy, maybe fruit or something. I know you have a sweet tooth, but you will have to establish a limit. Nao and Warai, your punishment will be that there will be no pranks from either of you for a week, and you know I have ways to know when you've played a prank. Saiki, you really should have known better to encourage them, and so you will now be punished. I know you've recently taken an interest in the Internet, but for a week, the wireless will be completely offline. Kenshiki, you will take care of our little menagerie for a week, although you will only make sure they are fed and watered regularly. Kenjou, you will not be allowed into the greenhouse for a week, but you may still research in the library about any plants that have caught your interest. Fuushigi, you won't be able to continue your mini-explorations for a week. Akka, same as Yuu. No dessert for a week, but a late-night snack is permitted. Shitsuke, Chishiki, I had expected you two to be more level-headed. Your punishment will be the same, and that is that the both of you are banned from the library for a week, although you may remove one book each morning to replace it before bed. Shijou, no more pottering around the grounds for one week, but you may do any research you like in the library. And finally, Ryuu… well, I think separating Pegasus from you for one week is enough punishment," Aoi announced as he stepped forward, facing each sibling as he delivered their sentence. Despite knowing that the punishments were all fair and relatively lenient as well as their own faults, it didn't make things easier, and the siblings all wore sullen looks, scowls, frowns, pouts, well, you get the idea.

Aoi chuckled mildly at their expression of rebellion and grasped the nearest sibling, which happened to be Yuu to him. Yuu refused to return the embrace for a while before he caved and soon all the Natsui brood, including Aoi himself, were engaged in a group hug. "Oh, come now, wipe those sour looks off your faces. You know it's fair," Aoi smiled, straightening up. "And mind you keep to your new restrictions, or it will be double the time if I find out any infraction," Aoi said jokingly, although the stern tone lacing his voice warned his siblings that the threat was very real.

"Um, Aoi-sama," the previously silent Noboru spoke up, fists clenched at his sides in a gesture of nerves, "what about my punishment? After all, you did leave obocchama and ojousama-tachi in my care, and I… failed in my duties."

Aoi turned to face his errant butler, one forefinger tapping his chin as he gazed pensively at the obviously uncomfortable Noboru. "Given your own judgment, what would you give yourself as punishment for neglecting your duties, Noboru-san?"

Noboru shifted uneasily. That felt like a trick question or a test of some sort. Truth be told, Noboru was, without a doubt, more than a little_ scared_ of his new Master. Oh, he had heard the tales passed through his family, when there was still some of the main family staying in the manor, of their Masters being kind souls who would never hurt a House-elf, let alone a human being, Squib, Muggleborn, Muggle, Halfblood or Pureblood. However, Noboru had never placed much stock in these tales. After all, a descendant of an angel does not automatically make one an angel as well. Not to mention, Noboru knew Aoi-sama had a wicked sense of humor, and quite a fair amount of sadism, which was obviously not helping things. Along with Aoi-sama's seemingly permanent PMSing temperament, needless to say, Noboru was not willing to find out how far his sadism went.

"If I were to judge, I would put myself in kitchen and clean-up duty. For _a month,_" Noboru added as an afterthought, desperately trying to imagine that he was giving opinion on the punishment of a nameless servant, instead of himself. Unfortunately, Noboru couldn't forget that it was indeed him that he himself was passing judgment on, and with a mind cultured by the long line of butlers that served the House of Gryffindor, Noboru was understandably ashamed of himself, and had given himself a fair (to him) punishment.

"Hmm…" was the only sign that Aoi gave that he had indeed heard and taken notice of the derogatory punishment that Noboru had given himself. Aside from the difference in punishment period for Noboru and his siblings, Aoi knew very well what such an embarrassing duty would do to Noboru. Being assigned to kitchen and clean-up like a common servant of the lower end within the Natsui household staff hierarchy would considerably undermine Noboru's authority as the chief butler among the newer servants, although those who had been longer in service of the Manor itself, rather than the current Natsui brood, may still somewhat defer to him. It might have been more merciful to just simply strip him of his employment, instead of subjecting the man to cruel jeers and humiliation by those who were supposed to be inferior to himself, and Aoi knew very well that the chief butler was a position that could be easily replaced by his deputy, someone that took the household in hand in the absence of the chief butler.

Aoi had met the deputy chief butler once – a too strict, too strait-laced complete _prick _of a man. The man was from the same Ayamino house as Noboru himself, and was in fact related to Noboru as a distant uncle. He didn't have to listen to the rumors that the maids seemed all too willing to share to know that the man had been less than willing to subject himself as a mere deputy to his nephew. However, there was nothing he could say about it, since the previous head of the Ayamino clan had chosen Noboru as his successor, effectively naming him as the next caretaker of the Manor. The staff had whispered about the chaos that had caused. The current deputy had raged, saying that the head was biased in Noboru's favor, as the previous head was Noboru's father. It had apparently even developed into a form of duel issued by the seemingly _wronged_ man. It didn't help things that Noboru, when he wasn't nervous, had beaten his distant uncle hands down in all the challenges – fencing, culinary arts, martial arts, etc. Noboru's father, because his favourite cousin, older brother to the current deputy, had pleaded with him, had asked Noboru to placate the man with the post of deputy. It seemed to have bought a moment of peace within the household but Aoi wasn't holding his breath.

He had seen the ambition and desire in the older man's cold eyes as well as envy, and Aoi didn't even need to use a Legilimency probe to see that. The man was trouble, with a capital T, and not the good kind, unlike his siblings. In short, Aoi would see hell freeze over before the older stuffed shirt replaced Noboru.

"From what I can tell, it is not entirely your fault, Noboru-san, so don't be too harsh on yourself. I've decided that your punishment would be to tutor us – that is, my siblings and myself – in any subjects that we may require aid in. While Math and Science are easy enough to pick up satisfactorily, none of us would be joining a contest on Japanese language or Japanese history any time soon."

Noboru didn't know whether to sigh in relief, or head for the nearest hard surface he could find and bang his head against it until he lost consciousness, and wake up to see that it was all a nightmare. On the one hand, Noboru was grateful that Aoi-sama had the understanding to spare him from a thoroughly humiliating experience in the kitchens or cleaning up with the chattering maids who never seemed to _shut up_. On the other, he was going to be in close quarters with the kids, banes of an adult existence, for longer than before. Oh well, at least some of them were better-behaved than the others and he was going to face them one-on-one rather than have all twelve of them gang up on him. It was better than his almost passed self-imposed punishment at least.

As Master and Butler was having this interesting exchange, the Hosts sans Haruhi found themselves subject to twelve penetrating pre-teen stares; all of the Hosts had such varying reactions to being so openly ogled like this that it was almost funny. Apparently, the Hosts were more accustomed to being looked at by young ladies, complete with full-body blush and from underneath shy lashes rather than this almost clinical inspection by children more than a few years their junior, and yet it was eerie that all the kids maintained a completely blank, expressionless look on their faces.

Hikaru and Kaoru were shifting uneasily, as the other set of twins circled them like a pair of vultures, their faces and body language belying nothing. Tamaki had hidden behind Kyouya, peeking over Kyouya's shoulder, admiring the almost artistic beauty of the children, instinctively knowing that all of them would soon grow up to be heartbreakers. Mori-sempai was not the least ruffled, even as the gazes of the children flickered amongst all the Hosts, except Haruhi, of course, but then again, when is Morinozuka Takashi ever ruffled? Only Hani-sempai seemed to be enjoying the attention and had immediately bounced over to Akka's side and pulling on one of her hands, started babbling about his little 'Usa-cha' and his favorite topic of conversation, sweets. He even managed to pull a reluctant smile from Akka, despite her earlier resolve to hate all the Hosts to the bone.

And Kyouya? I suppose you could say he was the most unaffected, next to Mori-sempai's seemingly inherent stoicism. He simply raised an elegant raven eyebrow in response to the relentless scrutiny, although he noticed that although the kids kept watching all the Hosts, most of them had chosen one specific Host to observe. It was this clinical scrutiny that caused a chuckle to erupt from Aoi. After all, it was very funny when the usually completely self-assured Hosts looked uncomfortable about being stared at, especially when they seemed to relish it when the attention came from the fairer sex.

"So, what's your judgment, O Wise One, Saiki-sama?" Aoi couldn't stop himself from asking the question. In answer to the questioning looks from the Hosts, Aoi simply shrugged and replied, "Saiki may be my younger sibling, but he's the best strategist I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot."

The darker boy, both in complexion and hair color, among the twelve stepped forward and walked towards each Host deliberately. Looking into Saiki's dark eyes, it was apparent that those dark penetrating orbs, young as the gaze may be, held wisdom and intelligence. It was an unconscious gesture, but the Hosts found themselves straightening their postures and holding their heads high, feeling as if they were being tested and if found unsatisfactory… well, let's just not go there. Again, Mori-sempai, who had always kept his usual straight-backed posture expressed no emotion nor gave any movement. Hani-sempai was still chattering animatedly next to Akka, waving the little bunny plushie that seemed to never remove itself from his person around. Kyouya retained a defiant relaxed posture, refusing to even acknowledge this little squirt who was determined to analyze him. If this kid thought he could intimidate Kyouya with that penetrating dark gaze, he thought wrong. Kyouya invented the art of intimidation.

"Prankster quadruplets," Saiki commented, as he passed in front of Hikaru and Kaoru, only pausing to gesture at Nao, Warai, Hikaru and finally, Kaoru. The Hitachiin twins visibly relaxed, the tension seeping away from their rigid postures. It looked like they had passed and were now accepted into the fold.

"Drama queen twins," Saiki spoke calmly, as he pointed first at Tamaki and then Kenshiki. Tamaki immediately began to prove his observation true by latching onto a reluctant, and visibly shying away Haruhi, lamenting about the cruelty and harshness of his analysis. Kenshiki, the other blond male in the room, looked indignant at being compared to the 'King' and sniffed, pointing his nose at the air and ignoring the others.

"Baby angel," he said, as he passed in front of Hani-sempai, who seemed positively delighted by the description. It seems as not even Saiki was immune to Hani-sempai's childish charms, as a small smile spread across his face.

Saiki stopped in his procession in front of Mori-sempai and regarded the tall senior for a short moment, before bowing in a flourish. "Peacemaker," he smiled minutely, gesturing at himself and then at Mori-sempai, who actually _smiled_ in response, inclining his head in a small gesture in acknowledgement of the very accurate analysis.

Finally, it was Kyouya's turn. Kyouya refused to bow down to that sharp dark-eyed gaze that seemed to look through him, only raising an eyebrow in obvious challenge, his similarly dark eyes sparkling with sardonic amusement laced with a little irritation that this mere boy dared to presume to be able to analyze him. For what seemed like an eternity, Saiki stared at Kyouya, neither breaking the eye-contact, as if they instinctively knew that the simple act of looking away from the other meant something significant had happened, something that could not be corrected. Still holding onto his opponent's gaze, Saiki deadpanned, "Dark Lord incarnate."

It seemed as if the siblings could no longer stand the urge, and immediately broke down in laughter, except for Saiki, who allowed Kyouya a glimpse of a sardonic smirk making its way across the eleven-year-old's face, unnoticeable to anyone else, before turning back to his siblings. The significance was clear. Challenge issued. Challenge accepted.

As the remaining laughter gradually died away, Aoi stood up straight. It was funny that Saiki had so accurately nailed all the Hosts right on the head. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who thought that the Hosts, annoying as they are, were eerily similar to his siblings. He'd tamped down the urge more than once to ask if Hikaru and Kaoru were adopted and were actually Weasleys – the missing two that formed the Weasley Prankster Quartet, despite the fact that their coloring was totally off. But there were always Blood Adoptions and rituals… but that is neither here nor now. Tamaki and Kenshiki were frighteningly similar, though Kenshiki thankfully refrained from draping himself all over the closest blood-and-flesh organism in times of emotional upset. He didn't think he could stand it if the two blonds were a mixture of each other – the Malfoy arrogance that no Blood Adoption could completely erase coupled with Tamaki's apparent idiocy. The combination was… frightening, to say the least. If Kenshiki was anything like that, brother or no, Aoi would have killed him within three days tops. Hani-sempai was certainly self-explanatory. After all, didn't Aoi himself think of the miniature senior as a blond cherub the first moment they'd met? As for Mori-sempai, well, he was really the only other Host he could actually find himself liking. Saiki was right calling him 'Peacemaker'; Mori-sempai, whether he knew it or not, was the anchor to the peace within the Host Club.

As for Kyouya… Aoi would have to tell Saiki once they were out of the Hosts' earshot that the so-called 'Dark Lord incarnate' was actually nicknamed the 'Shadow King' of the Host Club. That would make for an interesting conversation.

"Now, then," Aoi said, standing up, sending a mild glare at Tamaki, ensuring that the blond idiot stop clinging onto Haruhi who was gradually looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there. It was hardly a glare but Tamaki, along with the rest of the school, more than a little wary of the permanent temperamental personality of the newest addition to the high school division, knew better than to test Aoi's limits, especially after a tiring night. "Tamaki, it's getting late, and I have to get my siblings home. Not that I expect there to be anything else to do anyway, as the dance party is now officially over, but anyways, don't count on me and Haruhi-chan."

"I understand you, Aoi, but why my darling daughter? She needs her daddy to comfort her after such a traumatic ex-" the blond self-proclaimed 'King' exclaimed, only to be cut short by words that were snarled from Aoi's lips.

"If you think I'm leaving Haruhi-chan alone with six guys at night, you've gone completely off your rocker, Tamaki," Aoi snapped. He really wasn't in the mood for Tamaki's antics right now. All he wanted to do now was make sure Haruhi get home safely and unharmed, then get himself and his twelve siblings back home at the Manor for a good night's sleep. Turning towards Haruhi, Aoi said in a gentler, softer tone, "Come on, then, Haruhi-chan." Haruhi nodded and followed after the little procession of a sixteen-year-old, twelve eleven-year-olds, and their butler.

* * *

It was complete silence for a moment after the abrupt departure of Aoi and his little entourage, until Hikaru, finally tiring of the oppressive quiet, decided to open his mouth and talk.

"Anyone else think there's something that Aoi isn't telling us? Or rather a _lot _of somethings?" he asked, his question not directed at any particular member of the Host Club. The rest, without answers, only wore perplexed looks that were mirrored on his own face. Tamaki decided to take charge of the situation, which was figuring out the enigma that took the form of one Natsui Aoi, unaware that he was dangerously trespassing upon the sacred boundaries of the gradually ominous-looking Shadow King.

"All right! It's agreed that Aoi has something really big that he's hiding, so let's see… what do we know about him right this moment?" Tamaki announced, basically declaring an impromptu Host Club conference, albeit it was not really complete, as neither Aoi nor Haruhi was present. Well, duh, they were discussing _Aoi_ and Haruhi by connection. The Host Club members all gathered around the largest Chippendale coffee table, which was specifically used for any type of meetings or conferences they had, and when they were all seated, Tamaki rolled out a whiteboard, that he had somehow managed to extract from his person. Discussions began, and all the Host Club members, with the exception of Kyouya, who was as of yet spitting mad about Tamaki and the other Hosts all prying into Aoi's business, in spite of his own personal interest ~cough-obsession-cough~ on said subject. Within a few minutes, there was a small, _very_ _small_ list written on the whiteboard:

1. Name: Natsui Aoi

2. Age: 15-16

3. Siblings: 12

4. Parents/Guardians: Unknown

5. Merit of scholarship: Family-owned chain of 3-4 department stores

6. Wealth: Seemingly mediocre, but instances where there is suspicion?

7. Adopted Haruhi as honorary sister

8. Hid his attractiveness and physical appearance initially before accidental unveiling for unknown reasons. Hint of more secrets?

9. Expert at ballroom dancing

10. Has a butler and possibly more staff.

11. Residence: Unknown (Attempts to investigate have repeatedly failed)

12. Temperamental, but generally well-mannered and congenial

Tamaki and the rest of the Hosts peered at the list, and the realization that their fellow schoolmate was possibly and most probably hiding a _lot_ of secrets and deceptions gradually sank in. Aoi was a mystery, and although he generally got on well with most of the Hosts (except a certain bespectacled raven), there was little to no personal information about Aoi, aside from the most basic biodata.

"One more thing, Tamaki-sempai," Hikaru pointed out. He picked up the marker that Tamaki had earlier placed on the table and scribbled an addition No. 13 on the whiteboard:

13. Hates Kyouya-sempai.

* * *

As the limousine rolled up the granite driveway until it came to a complete halt right outside the main entrance to the Natsui Manor, as the staff were prone to referring to it now, about four or six maids were seen to be lined up in front of said entrance, looking very official and pristine in their sharp uniforms, ready to welcome back their current Master and his errant charges. At the forefront was Ayamino Haruki, his strict visage completely unperturbed as he watched his _nephew_ help the little ojousama and oboucchama-tachi out of the limo, under the watchful eye of the new Master.

In his mind, however, was a completely different story. Haruki had never understood how he, with so much more experience and obvious knowledge under his belt, had been passed over as successor of the Head of the Ayamino Clan, in favor of a _boy_ that had less than a few years' experience in managing a household the size of the manor. The only way that Haruki could reason out for the choice in successor was obvious favoritism from the previous Head, who had happened to be Noboru's father. Now, while he, Ayamino Haruki, was relegated the pitiful post of deputy and was subject to a _child_ superior in his nephew, he had to watch Noboru strut around the place as if he had actually _earned_ the position.

Haruki hadn't believed for one second that the Butlers' Challenge that he had issued so long ago had been ruled fairly. It was so obvious that the Council were biased in favour of Noboru, and thus ruled in his favor. After all, how could a mere _child_ be able to defeat him on so many counts and with such an easygoing attitude? In fact, Haruki would not have found it strange that the Challenge, upon the starting point, was already rigged in favor of his young opponent. It was the only way that the _boy_ had been able to defeat him, and since it was Haruki who had raised the challenge, he couldn't make an appeal without making himself look like a sore loser, and worsen his status within the clan. Thus, Haruki had remained quiet and bided his time like a predator waiting to strike, and at the most unexpected moment.

Haruki had seen his chance at recovering his honor, upon hearing that they would soon have a new Master. He was beside himself in ecstasy when he discovered that the so-called Master was actually a little boy of barely sixteen. He had envisioned that the new Master would soon be led to trust him and gradually afford him more authority and power, especially with that one Golden rule in the Ayamino Clan, which was that the Master's word was everything. It meant that if the Master so decided, he would be able to circumvent even the Ayamino Clan Head's choice of successor.

Haruki had imagined an easy feat to get the Master's trust, but that was before he met one Natsui Aoi. The boy was intelligent, smart and cunning. Moreover, it seemed that all his senses were tuned to detect the slightest bit of manipulation. Try as he might, Haruki was not able to get the Master alone for discussion about his own personal prospects. It was always the case that one or another of those brats Aoi-sama called siblings hung around and intercepted his efforts. Honestly, Aoi-sama was the most completely irresponsible person, biting off more than he could chew, by adopting twelve kids. If he had really wanted to adopt them, Aoi-sama should have just allocated them to the care of the servants, instead of giving them even his name. It was simply disgraceful the way these brats acted, especially when they weren't even his real siblings.

Anyways, back to current happenings…

"All right, gaki-tachi, it's way past the time for bed," Aoi mock-commanded, an amused twinkle in his intelligent emerald eyes, as he gestured towards the huge mansion, prompting the kids to trot in front of him, headed towards their respective suites. Aoi followed, with Noboru at his heel. Upon reaching the entrance however, Haruki saw his chance and boldly attempted to halt Aoi.

"Okaerinasai, Aoi-sama."

Aoi stopped, Noboru as well, upon hearing the velvety tones of the deputy chief butler. Haruki clamped down on the shiver threatening to run down his back as those arresting emerald orbs turned towards him, as if seeing him for the first time, assessing him and gauging him. He had always felt the sensation that Aoi-sama could see all his secrets when he looked at him, and it wasn't something that he was fond of feeling.

"Tadaima, Haruki-san," Aoi murmured, after a thoughtful moment. As Haruki opened his mouth to request for some time to discuss about his future in the household, one of the redheaded brats decided to choose that inopportune moment to occupy Aoi's attention and yet again, Haruki's futile efforts were thwarted, as he watched wordlessly the young Master being led by the hand by said brat into the mansion, his jaw clenching imperceptibly as he watched the receding back of his nephew.

* * *

Next morning…

_Ring! Ring!_

Aoi stifled a weary yawn as he slid the silken duvets off his form, simultaneously pressing the speaker button on the internal phone that was conveniently located on his bedside table. Stretching, he half-heartedly listened to the sudden early morning call that had chosen such an unfortunate moment to intrude upon him.

"Aoi-sama, there's someone here to see you," came the chipper tones of the Natsui chief butler. Aoi had to bite down on a sleepy and _grumpy _half-growl of annoyance at how awake Noboru sounded at – Aoi glanced briefly at the digital alarm clock on his bedside table – 8.15 am in the morning. Honestly, if he hadn't read the calendar wrong, it was a Saturday, which meant no school in Japan. Waking up at eight in the morning on an off-school day was simply unhealthy, especially when Aoi considered his wake-up time on an off-school day to be at the very least ten – two whole hours from now. He was half-tempted to ask Noboru to repeat his cordial greeting for his out-of-the-blue guest. It was simple really – just two words: &*^%. Off.

Aoi paused as he reviewed his own thoughts before sighing. He really had to get past saying the F*&^ and S&% words. How was he supposed to explain the birds and the bees or the bees and the bees or vice versa, as may be the case with some of them, to his siblings when he couldn't even say the words? Seriously, one would think, a normal, virile young man like Aoi obviously was could say the two words without his face lighting on fire, but no… he just had to be the exception, as usual. Aoi snorted at his own self-mockery. It took a moment before he realized that Noboru was still on the other end of the line, obviously waiting for his reply.

"Uh… send my visitor to the main study please, oh, and please send some tea and scones in later. I'll want them later. Thanks," Aoi requested, before he hung up. Pushing away the rest of his covers away, and fighting the lethargy that threatened to overwhelm him and send him back to Poppa Sandman, Aoi stood up and half-stumbled towards his bathroom to wash up and make himself presentable enough to face the inopportune visitor.

It was a short fifteen minutes later that Aoi, now fully dressed in a white tank top under an unbuttoned black jeans jacket, with matching black jeans, rode down in the elevator to make his way to meet with the uninvited and unexpected guest. As he thought of the scones and tea that Noboru had undoubtedly set out for him, sitting warmly awaiting his consumption in the main study, he hurried his pace, urged along by his still empty stomach. Soon he found himself in front of the massive agarwood doors. As he pulled it open, he was completely thrown by the one he found within.

"What are you doing here?!"

_Tbc…_

* * *

AN: Okay, so any guesses on who may be Aoi's mysterious and unwanted visitor?

Well, wait and see…

Btw, R&R please!!!


	10. Chapter 10 Bad News and WHAT!

AN:

So sorry, guys…. For the late update, you know. But it really isn't my fault! Really! And stop snorting at me!

Anyways, due to some unexpected circumstances (i.e. I botched one of my exams = grounded for an undetermined period of time), I am unable to access my PC (cough-confiscated-cough), but I'm back now!

Sorry, but you can't expect too many updates from me now, you know, 'cause of the grounded thing. Even now, I am sneaking this update on, but I'll try my best! So keep your reviews and keep your faith!!

P.S.

I have quite a number of reviews regarding Akka's name, saying that 'red' in Japanese would be 'aka', with one k, so I thought I'd clear things up before it gets too complicated. Firstly, it is NOT a typo, I intentionally made it Akka. While I know Aka is the right spelling, please keep in mind that Aoi calls his sister 'Akka-chan'. If I were to change it to 'Aka-chan', which means 'baby', it just sounds _wrong_. I don't know about you guys, but I would totally freak if my elder brother figure called me 'baby'.

And without further ado, on to the next chapter!!!

* * *

Chapter 10: Bad News and… WHAT?!

_Monday at Ouran High School…_

Aoi watched unnaturally impassive, for him, that is, as Tamaki kicked up a fuss about not having enough 'father-daughter bonding time' with Haruhi, although what Tamaki had to do with Haruhi's conception, Aoi had no idea. Kyouya was not making things any better with his completely toneless way of bluntly pointing out facts such as the ratio of 'Haruhi-time' that the mischievous twins enjoyed as compared to their imbecilic President. It was almost as if the Shadow King was blatantly trying to make things _worse_. Aoi sighed as he remembered the unexpected encounter yesterday, unnoticed to all but a certain raven whose glasses glinted, reflecting the lighting and masking his concern.

_~flashback~_

"What are you doing here?"

"Now is that any way to talk to your favourite goblin friend?" his visitor – perhaps the only mischievous goblin in existence, Grimstone, nephew of Griphook – smirked.

"You're the only goblin friend I _have_," Aoi replied dryly, making his way to the old-fashioned wingback armchair behind the study desk, snagging a still warm scone from the plate, after having gotten over his shock.

"Allow me to remind you that I'm overseer of all your and your siblings' business investments and ventures, which include one very profitable Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," he smirked evilly. Now an evil smirk on Snape's face was chilling, an evil smirk on Voldie's face was scary, but an evil smirk on a goblin's face – that was positively horrifying, so much that Aoi paused mid-chew and shivered.

"You wouldn't," Aoi breathed, his emerald eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Try me," Grimstone replied, an almost innocent smile on his face – almost because it was physically impossible for a goblin's face to portray complete innocence. "Anyway," Grimstone continued, leveling a warning glare at Aoi to hold off any interruptions. "I'm here today on behalf of Uncle Griphook and Chief Ragnok."

"You still keep in contact with the Goblin Nation?" Aoi asked incredulously. He hadn't expected Grimstone to still be in contact with any of the Gringotts goblins. It may be hard to believe that there existed a goblin that had that had cut off all ties with the Gringotts Goblin Nation but Grimstone happened to be an exception to the rule.

It wasn't a happy tale, either.

You see, Grimstone hadn't always been the overseer of Aoi and his siblings' many financial investments, both in the Wizarding World and the Muggle World. Previously, he had actually been assigned to watch the Lestrange vault, in spite of his comparative young age, on Grimhook's recommendation, however ironic that sounds. However, his assignment was abruptly ended when, shortly after the fall of Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, under the misconception that there existed an artifact in her family vault that would bring He-Who-Should-Have-Dropped-Dead-A-Long-Time-Ago back to the living world, managed to Confund him with a powerful Dark object so as to allow her entry into the Lestrange family vault. Now why would Bellatrix need to resort to such drastic means to enter into a vault that she was part ownership of, you may wonder. Unfortunately, for poor Bella, that is, the Bank had a strict 'no-criminals-incarcerated-or-otherwise' policy, despite Gringotts not being under the Ministry's jurisdiction, so Bella had no other way of accessing her family vault. However, as soon as she got in, the door, which incidentally scans magical signatures, decided that she was not on the 'allowed' list and snapped close behind her. A week later, extreme exposure within an enclosed space to the large amount of residual Dark magic from all the Dark items coupled with her own corrupted magic had caused the powerful Dark witch to be reduced into no more than a pile of dust.

Despite there being no harm done and not even his fault, the Gringotts Council of goblins had called for some way to replenish their lost pride, which took the form of Grimstone's execution under the charge of 'neglect of duty'. Griphook and Chief Ragnok who had both had a hand in raising the young orphaned goblin had pleaded and begged, but to no avail. In the end, Griphook had lowered his head and begged for Aoi's help, who was highly respected by all magical beings, human and non-, for his resounding defeat of the Dark Lord as well as being powerful, politically, financially and magically. Aoi would have helped though, even without Griphook's begging him, since he had an almost parental fondness for Griphook, who had been in charge of his trust vault since before he was born. Unfortunately, the trio of two goblins and a very powerful human could only manage to get the execution sentence reduced to exile. Despite their best efforts, the Council overruled both Chief Ragnok and Griphook by vote of majority, whilst telling Aoi to basically 'sit down and shut up'. When the verdict was passed, Aoi had been hard-pressed not to withdraw all his funds and close all his Gringotts accounts, which Aoi knew with a malicious certainty, would completely cripple the Bank.

And Aoi would have, too, if he hadn't had a lingering affection for Griphook and Chief Ragnok. So when all was said and done, Aoi settled for removing all the links the goblins had to his family's business investments, much to the Gringotts goblins' disgruntlement, leaving only the long-term vaults and his siblings' trust vaults within the Bank, thus basically reducing Gringotts to little more than a storage facility. None of the Gringotts goblins were actually stupid enough to voice a protest, though, for fear of offending him further and provoking him into a more drastic course of action.

After Grimstone's exile, Aoi had all but adopted the goblin and had even managed to stick it to the straitlaced inflexible Gringotts Council of Goblins by making said goblin his general business consultant and overseer of all the business investments and ventures under himself and his siblings, the exact same ones he had had removed from under Gringotts jurisdiction. Aoi had yet to regret hiring Grimstone.

"Oh, I've only been in contact with Chief Ragnok and Uncle Griphook," Grimstone commented offhandedly. If the goblin had noticed Aoi's incredulous tone and expression , he didn't show it. Obviously Aoi's unexpected visitor had no desire to dwell on his estrangement from his fellow goblins and Aoi tactfully decided not to say another word in reference with the still sensitive subject. "Anyway, like I said, I'm here on behalf of Uncle Griphook."

"Hold on," Aoi interrupted yet _again_, "how come Griphook didn't come himself? Or sent me an owl to meet him somewhere?" he asked, perplexed, still holding onto a half-eaten scone.

"If _someone _would _stop interrupting_ me," here Grimstone glared at Aoi, who only gave an unrepentant grin, "I was getting to that." Grimstone took a deep breath before dropping the verbal bomb in one go. "Uncle is unable to contact you or see you directly because of the tremulous political climate back in Wizarding England. Rufus Scrimgeour is trying to get himself re-elected as Minister and subsequently is watching all contact that comes out of England to make sure that no one comes and brings you back," the goblin said in one deep breath, leaving him just a little out of breath by the time he'd finished his explanation.

Aoi's usually bright green eyes had darkened considerably until they were now the colour of a night-time forest, the only sign that the more temperamental side of his personality was rising to the surface. He completely ignored what was left of his scone and had left it abandoned on the desk space in front of him, disregarding that the scone was dripping crumbs and honey on the previously spotless wood. "Explain," Aoi said as calmly as he could possibly manage with his temper lying just at the edge of his Occlumency barriers, holding back the snarl curling at the bottom of his throat while simultaneously reminding himself that it was completely unreasonable, not to mention irrational, to shoot the messenger.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Grimstone didn't get the memo not to aggravate Aoi when he was in this state of mind, because the goblin quipped cheerfully right after, "Which part?"

"Grimstone!" Aoi didn't even bother with the pleasantry of not snarling now, because, in his opinion, Grimstone deserved every little bit of antagonism clenching his heart now, especially since the goblin was practically offering himself up as target practice…

"All right! Hold your horses!" Apparently, Grimstone had regained his limited common sense in the nick of time, although he still grumbled under his breath, "Honestly, you wizards act as if you _don't_ live for at least a few hundred years…" However, at the increasingly forbidding expression on Aoi's face, Grimstone wisely decided to shut up.

The relatively young goblin gave a resigned sigh before he continued. "Very well, allow me to reiterate. I'm sure you know of the International Confederation of Wizards, abbreviated ICW, yes?" Aoi nodded without change in expression, in spite of the underlying emotional turmoil that was currently causing chaos at the edges of his mind. "Well, Albus Dumbledore's passing may have had the greatest impact in Wizarding Britain, however, in actual fact, the event had international repercussions, due to the fact that prior to his expiry, Albus Wulfric Brian Dumbledore held the position of Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. As he is now no longer among us, there rose a pressing need to elect a new Supreme Mugwump, which would be the main issue of debate at the upcoming conference next month. Reports say that the most likely candidate would be-"

Aoi hurriedly cut the rambling off before Grimstone could elaborate even further. "Grimstone," he gritted out, over the grinding of his teeth in annoyance, his already limited patience dwindling even further, "just England's Wizarding politics are more than enough to drive me crazy. I'd be just about ready to purchase a burial plot for myself if I hear any more about _international_ Wizarding politics, so please kindly get to the point."

"Fine," the disgruntled goblin huffed. "Well, a representative from every Wizarding government all over the world is required to attend, most often the Ministers. So saying, it is obvious for there to be a mood of diplomacy and pleasantries, correct?" He did not wait for Aoi to acknowledge what was obviously a rhetorical question before he continued. "Therefore, Rufus Scrimgeour, the ex-Minister of Magic is rallying an emergency campaign attempting to re-elect himself as what he calls as the Interim Minister. He claims that it is only for the duration of the ICW Conference, but you and I both know that Scrimgeour only honors those promises that are beneficial to be honored."

"On what grounds does Scrimgeour think he has any chance of winning a campaign of such foolishness?" Aoi scoffed condescendingly. There was definitely no love lost between the former Minister of Magic and the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Defeated, or whatever they were calling him nowadays.

"Scrimgeour's main argument is that Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt was a field auror prior to his appointment to the ministerial position. According to him, apparently Minister Shacklebolt would be unable to present a proper image of diplomacy representing Wizarding England in the face of the other world leaders, whereas he, Scrimgeour, I mean, had at least been Head of the Auror Force and would therefore, in his opinion, be able to establish an image of leadership and authority. Of course, Scrimgeour being from a relatively new, but nevertheless pureblooded family is only another factor in his favor."

"And how do I factor into this? What is provoking Scrimgeour into restricting all contact between Wizarding England and myself? And why are _you_ unrestricted?" Aoi asked, a brow arched in query.

His unanticipated visitor laughed disbelievingly. "You do underestimate yourself, don't you? Come now, milord, surely you know how much political sway you hold back in England… It is sad, but the wizarding community consists mostly of followers rather than leaders, and who better to follow than the Defeater?"

"Is that what the press is calling me nowadays?" Aoi huffed in mild irritation.

"Among others," Grimstone chortled. "Anyway, Scrimgeour knows better than anyone else that should you return to England, the ministerial candidate that _you_ back would be the victor, and since he has less than affable relations with you, milord, I would say he definitely thinks of you as a threat. Now, as to why I am unrestricted – well, it's very simple. In the eyes of the public, I am a disgraced goblin who has chosen to live in solitude after being discarded by the Gringotts Council of Goblins. Those who know I am now working for you are either dead, sworn to a Wizarding Oath, or trusted. There is no possible way to link me to you, milord, hence Scrimgeour has dropped his guard. The better for us, though," the goblin smiled viciously.

"You're going to make me go back to England, aren't you?" Aoi sighed tiredly, warily glancing at the too-smug-for-his-own-good goblin.

"Oh, Merlin forbid anyone would be able to _make _you do anything, milord," Grimstone smirked condescendingly. And in spite of Aoi's own reluctance to re-visit old memories and consequently his home country, both goblin and wizard knew that even as they discussed the matter over scones and tea, the decision was already made.

_~flashback ends~_

Yes, the decision had been made.

Lord Hadrian Jamison Potter-Black was never one for abandoning his friends and neither was Natsui Aoi. Therefore, as much as he detested the idea of returning to a community of fickle idiots who were constantly led around the nose by the media and a corrupt Ministry, Aoi would not condemn those few he actually _could_ tolerate, like Kingsley. Even now when he was entertaining his lady-friends for the day, Aoi knew Grimstone, who had returned to England, was making the appropriate preparations for Aoi's dramatic return to Wizarding England. The goblin obviously wanted 'The Return of the Saviour' to generate _huge_ ripples and overall, create as much publicity as possible. And Aoi had to agree; as much as he generally disliked the media, the press was a powerful weapon and if used for the greater good…

And now he was channeling his grandfather figure. The stress was getting to him.

He had already packed his baggage for what he sincerely hoped was a short two-day trip. In other words, Aoi wanted to get in and get out. Period. No hanging around playing buddies with political figures or the more likely scenario, _them_ trying to play buddies with _him_ and failing dismally. No giving one-on-one interviews with horny female and male reporters who wanted more than an interview from him. Generally, Aoi just planned to make this as painless as possible, for himself, that is. Now, Aoi just had to tell his siblings about his upcoming trip.

Joy.

He could imagine their reactions – screaming, yelling, swearing and crying were words that came to mind. Aoi was not one for self-delusions and he did not fool himself into thinking that they would say 'Oh, really?' and 'Have a nice trip' when they heard about it. It was almost a definite scenario that they would fight tooth and nail to convince him not to return. After all, even if they had all been born in England, the country held few good memories for each of them, more often than not overwhelmed and outnumbered by too many bad memories. As such, the last thing that Aoi wanted to do was ask his siblings to follow him back to England. It might be the coward's way out to escape from one's personal demons, but Aoi wanted to protect his siblings as long as he could. One thing he could be thankful for, though, was that as a side-effect of the 'cloning', they retained only vague versions of their originals' memories, and that had most probably numbed the effects of their memories. Of course, there was the odd nightmare and bad dream, but Aoi really could not ask for more. Thus saying, Aoi knew he had no right to remove his siblings from the precious and fragile sanctuary they had found now to return to a place that they had no wish to even see again, even if it was only temporary and even if he knew that his siblings being there would help keep him sane in the face of the upcoming conflict: Scrimgeour VS Potter Part II.

At that thought, Aoi couldn't help but sigh again.

* * *

Kyouya had known that there was something bothering the usually alert mind of Natsui Aoi the moment said boy had stepped into the classroom that morning. Perhaps it was the slightly 'off' way a few of the raven bangs caressed that pale face or the few octaves heavier footsteps as Aoi passed Kyouya on the way to his own seat. In any case, Kyouya was definitely certain that something troubling had happened in the Natsui household. This certainty was further proven when Kyouya's sensitive hearing caught the few sighs that escaped from the recently inducted Host. Taking a surveying glance around, Kyouya deduced that no one else had detected the worrying behavior of Aoi. Not even the ladies that Aoi was entertaining for today's session had noticed the wandering attention of their object of admiration, while the Hosts were preoccupied with the dilemma of protecting Haruhi's masculine disguise in the face of the upcoming physical examination, whispering about plots and plans in a corner. In fact, that was something to worry about in itself. Since when is Aoi so completely distracted that he looks on with a passive façade the chaos that centers around Haruhi unfold?

With this thought in mind, Kyouya decided to approach with caution the elusive young junior.

* * *

"You know you'll get wrinkles by the time you're twenty-five at the rate that you're frowning."

Aoi looked up from his obsessive thoughts about his upcoming trip into dark eyes that gazed out at him from a face that loomed above him. That face belonged to one Ootori Kyouya, the VP of the Host Club and his classmate. Just going by the fact that the speaker was Kyouya, Aoi was almost tempted to snap back a scathing retort at the other boy, before he realized that Kyouya was, at the most, simply making an observation and adopting a neutral tone when addressing him, and despite how absolutely unlikeable that Kyouya was normally, Aoi really had no other reason to insult the other boy.

"What do you want, Kyouya?" Aoi settled for sighing half-heartedly.

Kyouya was more than a little surprised. He had expected Aoi to make a scathing verbal comeback, if only to spite him. Yet Aoi did not, and looked as if he was actually tired. Not only that, but Aoi had actually dropped the suffix for his name that he usually disgustingly emphasized, as if to prove that Kyouya had no means or manner to overcome the distance that such a suffix placed between them. As of this moment, Kyouya's concern for the smaller boy just doubled.

"I'm merely expressing concern for the general well-being of a fellow classmate and Host. Is that so wrong, Aoi?" Kyouya replied, offering a closed-eye smile to the much smaller boy. Now, normally Kyouya would have gotten a snort or a similar expression of sarcastic incredulity in reply. Unfortunately, or fortunately, really depends on how you look at it, Aoi was not in the mood for the usually amusing, barbed conversations that had become the norm in any interaction that occurred between the two ravens.

Aoi reached out slowly, and without warning, gave a sharp yank to Kyouya's school tie, causing the Shadow King to stumble, so that the taller boy's knees were bent involuntarily and Kyouya, for the second time since Aoi's blow-up a few months ago, found himself so close to the smaller raven that he could feel the other's warm breath caressing his skin. Kyouya stifled the strong urge to lick his suddenly too-dry lips, or worse, give an experimental taste to the plump rosebud lips of his conversation partner that lay so temptingly in front of his eyes. He didn't have to have a high IQ to know that consequences would be dire should he be so bold. At that moment, when ebony gazed into emerald, it seemed that the world was suspended. Time ceased flowing within that small bubble and the entire world consisted of only Kyouya and Aoi. Neither heard the excited squeals from their guests, most of whom appeared to be yaoi enthusiasts.

The hosts glanced over, their attention distracted from the ongoing argument about protecting the secret of Haruhi's true gender. Out of all the hosts, only the twins brushed the sudden action on Aoi's part as one of Kyouya's schemes to generate more popularity for the Host Club which, going by the squealing and excited whispers in the background, was working remarkably. The President's amethyst gaze was thoughtful and a mischievous grin curled his lips, one that seemed more at home on one of the twins' faces, while Haruhi withheld her judgment for the time being though she couldn't help the wariness that seeped involuntarily into her soulful brown eyes. Both were reluctantly drawn back into the unfinished dispute and their line of sight was broken.

"It's going to get interesting, ne, Takashi?" the shortest Host chuckled in amusement and in a rare display of the maturity that was usually overshadowed by his childish appearance. His taller companion refrained from sighing at the tone that Mitsukuni used, one that said 'I'm plotting something that will meddle in lives not my own', and only nodded silently in agreement.

Meanwhile, going back to the two ravens still trapped in an eye-lock….

"Kyouya…" Aoi breathed, his Parseltongue abilities lending an almost seductive quality to the address. This time, Kyouya couldn't resist swallowing the gulp that seemed to have lodged in his throat, although it was not out of nerves which, going by the minute smirk that twisted Aoi's lips, was what the smaller boy apparently believed. "My business is my own," Aoi smirked cheekily, his thoughts temporarily rerouted from the depressing paths they had taken. With that parting shot, he released his grip on the taller boy's tie, allowing Kyouya to regain his towering height and balance. By the time Kyouya had regained his composure however, Aoi had apparently given a half-assed excuse to Tamaki and went home.

* * *

"WHY?!"

Those were the words that came out in a scream from the lips of one furious redhead known as Natsui Akka, as she lobbed a priceless crystal figurine with the talent of an NBA player, her aim being her eldest, normally beloved, brother's head. The rain of breakable, not to mention highly expensive, ornaments continued and with each crash, Noboru, poor man, felt as if a dagger was driven into his heart and viciously twisted repeated times. While Noboru was busy trying to keep back the urge to become a quivering wreck collapsed on the polished marble floor, Aoi easily and nimbly dodged and ducked each projectile, whereas the rest of the Natsui 12 were in various states of shock and emotional upheaval, yet unable to react to the troubling and upsetting news that Aoi had revealed to them.

It was ten minutes later when the downpour of fragile breakables finally stopped, although it was unclear whether it was because Akka had run out of steam or stamina or the fact that she'd run out of ammunition but it was more likely the latter case. Aoi calmly stood up from his defensive crouch and brushing a few specks of lint off his gray cashmere sweater, slowly, though with a certain amount of caution, walked over to where Akka had slumped down the wall and was now resting with her rear on the floor. Wordlessly, he offered silent comfort, gathering his firecracker of a sister into his arms. One look from Aoi was all it took for the rest of the Natsui horde to join their eldest brother and sister in a mutually comforting group hug.

"I don't want you to go, niichan," Kenshiki mumbled in a rare show of vulnerability as he clung to the small part of Aoi's shoulder he had managed to claim in the, to be honest, suffocating and overcrowded group hug. Noboru had tactfully and wisely removed himself as well as the few maids and servants who kept watch in the corridor outside that particular room, sensing that this was a sensitive moment. Hence Kenshiki, the ever-proud blond pureblood stereotype, could safely remove the cold, unfeeling mask he adopted in front of outsiders.

Hearing that rare heartfelt murmur from the previous and aptly named Ice Prince of Slytherin, Aoi wanted nothing more than to promise that he wouldn't leave them, not for Scrimgeour, not for Kingsley, not for Minnie (AN: Minerva McGonagall, if you're wondering), not for anything or anyone in the whole world. Unfortunately, Aoi was still very aware that he was needed to balance the power struggle back in the Wizarding World, and was obliged to return, if not 'for the greater good' copyrighted by Dumbledore, then at least for the few friends he had – Kingsley, Minnie, those of the Goblin Council that he could actually tolerate, and precious few others. At that moment, it finally sank in – the realization that neither he, nor his siblings, would ever be able to escape the hidden world that they had fled. Like it or not, Aoi and his siblings were still deeply entrenched in the world that, as much joy that it had brought to all of them, also brought insurmountable pain and misery. At the very least, Aoi, as the eldest sibling, swore with firm resolution that he would try his best to protect his siblings.

With that vow firmly set in his mind, Aoi spoke no words, but only tightened the embrace and allowed the emotions at the forefront of his mindscape to sweep over the group, assuring them and protecting them. No overly flamboyant speech or convincing excuses were given because… truthfully, none were needed.

* * *

_A week before the Physical Examination…_

"What are we going to do?" Tamaki half-moaned dramatically. "We only have one week before the Physical Exam, and we still haven't thought of anything! At this rate, Daddy's cute, darling little girl will be taken away from Daddy!"

The twins glanced at one another and shrugged, as if in answer to their own mental conversation. Tamaki's reversal of opinion was abrupt but was not unprecedented. After all, the King was hardly bound by normal human logic. It seemed that Tamaki who, at the beginning greatly anticipated his imaginary (AN: And I really do mean, IMAGINARY) illusions of having father-daughter bonding with the newest Host aka Haruhi, had completely changed his mind when he realized that demoting Haruhi back to grunt work upon the discovery of her gender would even further limit their time together, and now, like the rest of the Hosts, were brainstorming ideas, more like completely impossible schemes, to keep her gender identification concealed.

Kyouya sighed inwardly, fighting the powerful urge to rub his temples in a most likely futile effort to rid himself of the migraine that was currently pounding into his head. But, of course, Kyouya wouldn't do something so… _out of character_, especially when the last of their guests were still lingering, though they were being politely escorted out by Hani and Mori-sempai respectively. The twins and Tamaki were still in a whispering match, mindful of any guests who had tarried too long and were still within earshot, whilst desperately popping out random ideas that were unrealistic at best, and completely nonsensical at worst. Meanwhile, the main character featured in their heated, whispered discussion was off to the side, waiting patiently for the new batch of tea to warm in a transparent crystal teapot, though… there was an off look in her brown eyes, which were slightly glazed, as if the girl's mind was somewhere far away at the moment. Now that he thought about it…

"Haruhi, where is your niisan?"

At the unexpected question, Haruhi, who was then pouring tea into separate tea cups accidentally missed one and the scalding hot beverage burnt her index finger a little, causing the girl to yelp and consequently, her 'Daddy' rushed to his 'little girl' in a frenzied panic. Whilst batting away the efforts of Tamaki who was trying to sneak her burnt finger into his mouth, Haruhi thought about what answer she should give. The Shadow King had not moved from his spot and was still regarding her with his copyrighted cool gaze even though the 'merchandise' was 'damaged'(AN: Kyouya treats the Host Club like a business and the Hosts hence are 'goods'…Cold? Harsh? But true… Oh, and also as entertainment*cough*Tamaki*cough*).

Haruhi debated whether or not to divulge the information that she had regarding her elusive pseudo-niisan. On the one hand, he never said it was a secret. On the other, knowing the Shadow King's temperament and nature, one thing would lead to another and he would reappear with a complete two-inch dossier based on any scrap of information that she unwittingly let slip. Still, Haruhi knew she couldn't lie with a straight face, especially to a human lie detector like Kyouya-sempai. He'd spot a deception from a mile away. With this thought in mind, she decided to tell a partial truth without giving out too many details.

"Niisan was quite vague about his whereabouts, so I'm not really sure," she finally replied, after deliberating her answer for a moment. To an untrained ear, that slight hesitation would have been completely missed, unfortunately, we're talking about the Master of Deception and Manipulation, who has accurately concluded that, due to unknown circumstances, Haruhi is refusing to be any more forthcoming about the raven enigma she calls her honorary 'niisan'.

What ensued was a tense silence, as Kyouya attempted to stare down at Haruhi, trying to read the hidden truth by her facial expression and body language, while Haruhi, as determined as the Shadow King, kept a completely blank face and didn't move an inch, betraying nothing. The tension was thick and the silence heavy, attracting the attention and causing the quiet of the other Hosts, who were all attempting to defuse the heavy atmosphere before the situation escalated into World War III right there in their club room. Surprisingly, Kyouya was the one who gave in first.

"Very well," he sighed, only mild irritation in his deep baritone, without betraying that he was trying to suppress the urge to have all the resources at his disposal devoted to finding the elusive enigma that was his new classmate. Without further comment, he flipped out a cell phone from an inner pocket of his coat uniform and pressed a button on his speed-dial list. He waited for a moment, before the person on the other end picked up.

"What can I do for you, Kyouya-san?"

Kyouya smiled genially disregarding the fact that his conversation partner could in no way see it. "Oishi-sensei, I'd like for you to arrange a private physical examination for my club, separate from the public physical examination for the high school section."

"May I ask why?" Oishi Nobuhiro bit out irritably.

If it hadn't been Oishi Nobuhiro on the other end of the line, Kyouya would have rewarded the belligerent tone coming from an employee with the worst dressing down that would easily have reduced a grown man to bawling like a baby. However, Oishi Nobuhiro was a special case. He was one of the few that Kyouya respected. Being the youngest son who was not the heir to the family, both his parents had easily ignored him in favor of his two already very outstanding brothers and of course their own work. It was then that he had met Oishi-sensei, who had been a recent med school graduate, who, due to an inherent mother-hen nature, it seemed, had taken over the role of his carer in the absence of the two who contributed to his birth. His respect for the doctor only increased when he heard that Oishi-sensei was a widower and had a son a few years younger than himself, and despite his utmost devotion and professionalism at his medical duties, the doctor had never neglected his son. Hence it was allowed. Oishi-sensei was the exception.

"Of course you may. I'm sure you remember what club I participate in, sensei. It would be complete chaos and would undoubtedly hinder the progression of the examination if my club members participate in the public examination, especially in view of the examination being public and co-ed. This can all be avoided if we have the examination at another time, and the records are still updated, so everyone wins."

"So this has nothing to do with the fact that you want to skive off on the examination day to go god-knows-what, huh?"

"Of course not, sensei. I am only thinking of making your out-of-office medical duties progress as smooth as possible."

His conversation partner snorted inelegantly. "Fine, but I don't want to see hide or hair of any one of your club members hanging around the examination venue on the day."

"Of course. Bye, sensei."

Kyouya closed his phone and slipped the device back into a pocket, ignoring the darkening aura behind him. A trembling hand on his shoulder however caught his attention, and Kyouya turned around to come face-to-face with Tamaki.

"Why didn't you say that the examination was done by the doctors from your hospital, Kyouya?" the part-French blonde questioned in frustration, only to be answered with a genial smile.

"You never asked."

Ignoring the blond who had flopped over in indignation and was now currently twitching on the floor, he turned to the only female member of their club. "Haruhi, you won't have to worry about the examination anymore since it will be performed before the public physical examination. What we will be doing while the rest of the high school section is occupied, is to pay a visit."

"Visit? What visit?" the girl asked in confusion.

"Why, to interrogate Aoi's siblings, of course," Kyouya said with a positively evil smirk.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

AN:

Kind of short, I know, but like I said, this is snuck online. Also, due to my being grounded, as of now until an undetermined point of time in the future, I shall be unable to update of bios.

Sorry, guys, but please still review! Tell me if you want the next chapter to be what Aoi is up to, or if you want to see how Kyouya's little visitation turns out! Whichever comes first means whichever you're more interested to see first!

REVIEW.


	11. Chapter 11

AN:

Sorry to disappoint, but this isn't a new chappie. I've gone back to re-read my story, and despite ur nice and positive reviews, I've decided to do a re-write. My reasons are that I found that I was moving a little too fast and complicating too many things too fast for such a complex plot. Like most reviews said, the names are a serious issue, for example. Plus, I thought that the interactions of Aoi with the other characters were a bit overly dramatic, almost to the point of being unrealistic, so I need to do quite a bit of revision. If u are a reader who's praised my story, thanks very much.

My last words:

"This is not the end… But the beginning."

P.S. If this quote, in any way, sounds familiar or came from somewhere else that u know, I claim no part of it as my own words.


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